I Take It With Two Sugars and a Kiss
by CaptainFlamingoPants
Summary: Draco ran off to muggle Australia in an attempt to escape his past and the media. What will happen when a certain Hermione Granger enters the very cafe he works at and back into his life? A story of romance, Ministry for Magic elections and intrigue. Dramione. Post-Hogwarts. Suggested themes and occasional profanities.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Not my characters or my magical world, unfortunately. :'( All that of good ol' JK. **

Draco snoozed his alarm with the sleepiness that a very late night will create. He had been out at the pub for what was promised by his friends as "one, harmless beer". It was not. It was more accurately twelve beers, a shot or two and was over many hours that he needed desperately for sleep. The handsome twenty-two year old was all for a night full of mirth and drinking with his mates but it was unfortunate for him that he was on the early shift at the cafe in which he was employed.

Draco's pounding head beat like a bass drum as he rose from his bed and wiped the sleep from his drowsy grey eyes. He thanked his lucky stars and his intelligence of having a pre-made hangover potion ready for times such as this. The young Malfoy may be living in the muggle world now but there was no logical reason to be in agony when a more pleasing option was at his very own potion-making fingertips.

He glanced in the mirror, admiring his ability to scrub up so quickly, and performed a quick drying spell on his hair after his short shower. Draco had thought about moving in with his friend Patrick when there was a room available in his share house but Draco was very happy he hadn't done so. He still loved magic and knew it would've been difficult to go completely without it as he would've had to do in a muggle share house. Also, by having his own apartment the young blonde was only moments away from his place of work and cafe, _'Adriana's_'.

As he exited the apartment building he realised his foolishness in not bringing a jacket. He may be living in Australia but that definitely didn't mean that it didn't get cold and miserable sometimes. Yes, muggle Australia and working in a local cafe, could it get more unexpected for this arrogantly handsome wizard? After the war and the death of his parents, Draco wanted more than anything just to run as far as he could from his unhappy past and the constant media who followed him everywhere like love-sick puppies. At the end of the most terrible war ever experienced by the magical world, Draco had switched sides and helped bring Voldemort to his doom but this didn't mean the media, especially the Daily Prophet, ever forgot about him. He was fed up and so he converted some of his large fortune and travelled as far and remote as he could think of (that still conveniently spoke English). That happened to be muggle Sydney. Sure, he had enough money to easily live in a mansion for the rest of his life and never do any work but he actually enjoyed working at a cafe. It was humbling and he felt like he was actually doing something constructive with his time.

Unlocking the shutters of the store with the keys that had been trustfully been given to him by the owner, Draco began to set everything up for the opening in an hour. No one was on for another good half an hour so he turned up the radio to the max and unstacked the chairs. He had found that loud and energising music always seemed to wake him up fully, despite the time being seven in the morning.

His boss and now close friend, Adriana, arrived smack bam on the half hour and helped Draco get things ready. They had turned down the music just enough so they could still chat whilst working away.

"Enjoy your night, Drake?" Adriana smirkingly questioned. She had been at the pub with him and a few other friends but had cleverly left much earlier than him, knowing that she had to get up early the next day. She was only two years older than him and they got along swimmingly. Adriana was very content having guys like Draco working for her; they were good employees and particularly fun to have around.

"If only James had not coerced me with a round of shots then I might have gotten out of there before midnight. After that, I was a goner," Draco laughed as he unwrapped the plastic wrapping off a particularly mouth-wateringly delicious cake.

* * *

By about eight-thirty, more employees had arrived and the cafe was in full breakfast rush. Draco, as usually, was charming every female customer as they ordered their drinks and meals. He seemed to be a natural at customer service. This was not expected by Draco but he delightedly found it easy to bloom in a foreign muggle world with no constraints of family propriety or prejudice to live up to.

An elderly couple entered just as everyone seemed to be leaving and the rush was dying down. They were regulars and were well liked by Draco and the other workers. In fact, his boss (and friend) Adriana was particularly close to the couple and had apparently become quite close with their daughter when she had visited her parents last.

"Good morning, Mr and Mrs Wilkins. Let me guess... a skim flat white and a cappuccino?" Draco greeted them with one of his prize-winning smiles as he correctly guess their usual order.

"Draco! How many times do I have to insist to call us by our first names! And yes, you presumed correctly, as usual." Monica replied, already getting out her money to pay.

"Monica, Wendall, It's on me. It'll probably crap coffee today anyway because Sam is on the machine again. My apologies." Draco smirked at Sam, jokingly making fun of his friends' coffee making skills. This teasing manner was often displayed by the two of the competitive gentlemen workers from the cafe so this did not offset the Wilkins at all.

"That is too kind, Draco! You can be sure I'll try and sneak you the money later. Our daughter is coming to meet us here today. I'll be sure to introduce you." Monica was not going to hide that she would thoroughly love her single daughter to go out with the charming blonde in front of her. Mr and Mrs Wilkins went to sit at their usual table as Sam began making their coffee's.

Ten minutes later, in came a young woman who Draco definitely did not expect. Not once did he think that he would be setting eyes on Hermione Granger in the middle of muggle Sydney. Neither did he ever consider that he would be astounded by her much improved and dazzling looks. It hit Draco like a shot to the heart.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: All is owned by J.K. Rowling, not me. **

Sure, Hermione Granger had bloomed into a beautiful flower, but that didn't mean she wasn't recognisable. Her hair, once a mop that was perpetually frizzed up past redemption, was still voluminous, however now in a very appealing way. Her figure had fully developed and she was undoubtably a very attractive witch. Her face lit up as she recognised her parents at their usual table by the window and she ran over to hug them.

Draco could not be more confused. Mr and Mrs Wilkins had said that their daughter was coming to meet them but surely that this was just a coincidental meeting between Hermione Granger and two of his favourite customers. Their daughter must be coming in later. Draco's grey eyes could not be pulled off Hermione and the Wilkins.

'_No, they can't be related. They have a different surname...'_ Draco thought in confusion.

Adriana was out buying some groceries for the store so when Monica Wilkins beckoned Draco over, he was greeting them alone.

"Draco, it's my pleasure to introduce you to our daughter, Hermione." Wendall smiled as he made the introduction. Hermione had not noticed the blonde's presence until that moment and she was visibly surprised out of her wits as she set eyes on her ex-peer.

"Malfoy?" Hermione asked in shock, more to herself than to him.

"The very same. Fancy seeing you here." He said with a smile which was surprisingly genuine. Hermione noted to herself that he was looking exceptionally ravishing and didn't fail to notice his attractive torso under his plain black shirt.

"That thought can be more than reciprocated. Wh- why are you here, of all places?" Hermione was extremely confused and this was not an emotion that was dealt well with her. Not only was she shocked by Malfoy being present but also by his friendly demeanour and apparent relationship with her parents.

"Hermione, dear. Have you already met Draco?" her mother asked. Hermione had never really talked about Malfoy, never one to complain. She also didn't want her parents to worry about her being bullied by said gentleman whilst at Hogwarts so decided not to mention his existence to them. She gave a quick nod to her mum meaning a simple 'yes' despite knowing her mother would want a more explaining answer.

It was at this moment that Adriana entered the cafe, let out a little scream of excitement and ran over to Hermione and enveloped her in a tight hug. With two of the staff not paying any attention to other customers, there was a queue at a register. Draco looked over and sighed. He turned back to Hermione with a wink and gave a two fingered casual salut as he said "Nice seeing you, Granger." He then jogged over to the counter across the room and served the accumulated customers who had arrived.

"Granger?" Adriana inquired curiously. Hermione quickly covered up the facts about her real name by saying it was a silly nickname that he had for her. This only cemented the idea that she had been formulating to set-up Hermione with Draco.

When Hermione had moved her parents to Australia, during the war, and taken away their memory of her, they fell in love with the country. They made many friends so when their daughter gave back their memories they kept their aliases and decided to stay in Sydney. They often travelled back to England for visits but they had a dental practice in Australia and couldn't bear the thought of leaving.

With her parents still calling themselves Monica and Wendall Wilkins, she had to keep up the pretence when visiting by being 'Hermione Wilkins'. This was what Adriana knew her by and therefore made Draco's use of 'Granger' strange to her.

Draco was far too busy for the rest of the Wilkins (or, if you'd rather, the Granger's) visit to _Adriana's_ and didn't get to speak at Hermione again before she left. He hadn't even seen a witch (or wizard) for almost a year now, so he hoped that he could talk to her. He occasionally went into Wizarding Sydney to get potion supplies and some books but hadn't ventured out to do so for quite a while.

Draco reassured himself he wanted to see her again just to hear all the Wizarding news and not because he was increasingly intrigued by her very presence, famous wit and beauty.

* * *

When at her parent's house, Hermione was still pretty disheveled by Malfoy's sudden reappearance in her life. They had met a few times, both being in the Order by the end of the war, but it had always been awkward and forced whilst in each other's presence. Draco had changed his manner past recognition. She knew he had escaped the grasp of the media in the last few years but the Daily Prophet had just said he was now a recluse. No wonder why they didn't have any new stories on him. She admired his ability to do this but stopped herself. Why on earth was she even contemplating Malfoy at all? She would never meet him again and they would go on their lives separately as they had happily done before. Her parents were having a party for their fortieth wedding anniversary and this was the main reason Hermione was taking time off her job at the Ministry to visit her parents in Australia. He was hardly going to be there so she dismissed the thought of ever seeing him again.

She was curling up by the heater in her favourite red armchair when she heard the door bell ring. She was inwardly a tad annoyed about this, being separated from her favourite read of _Hogwarts: A History_ but she nonetheless answered the door. She was happily surprised to see Adriana, Draco and a group of people she didn't recognise.

"Hey! We've come to take you out on the town!" Adriana said when Hermione opened the door. Hermione looked sheepishly down at her comfy pyjama's that she was wearing, an outfit that was made complete by the bright red Molly Weasley hand-made jumper that was two sizes too large and a huge golden _'H' _embroidered at her chest. Draco smirked knowingly at the sight of it.

"Oh, and this is my fiancé James, then there's Sam, Eliza and you know Draco, of course." Adriana made the introductions with a huge grin on her face.

"So, you'll come?" She inquired.

"Yeah, that sounds great. Er-, let me get changed though, if you don't mind waiting for a moment. Come inside." Hermione gestured everyone into her parents living room. They weren't home as they were out to a friends sixtieth birthday party. She ran up the stairs and into the guest-room that she was using whilst staying there.

Draco peered around the room, interestedly. He noticed that the fireplace was probably floo-accessible by the tub of floo powder that was sitting on the otherwise photography filled mantle-piece. When he saw the book that was open, faced-down on the coffee table he laughed aloud. His friends looked questioningly at him but he just shook his head, still chuckling to himself.

'_Trust Granger to be reading Hogwarts: A History,'_ Draco thought with a smirk.

While the others were chatting away, Draco sat down in a near-by red armchair and wordlessly grabbed the book on the table and was reading away. He was intrigued; he hadn't read the latest edition of the famous book and he hardly had many chances to drop into Flourish and Blotts lately to buy it.

When Hermione descended the flight of stairs, everyone complimented her on her lovely outfit but Draco, behind the backs of his muggle friends, merely waved _Hogwarts: A History _so only Hermione could see. He was smirking and jestingly tut-tutting silently as Hermione gave a little frightened gasp at leaving evidence of magic on the table for all to see. She rushed everyone out the door in a hope that none of the non-magical guests wouldn't see the book and ask questions Hermione wouldn't want to answer. The only acknowledgment of Malfoy that she gave was a glare in his direction. Draco was happy to see that her glare held much less malice than in the past and had a playfulness to it that he never before had the privilege of seeing.

* * *

Soon, the party of six was out in the city and were at one of groups favourite pubs after a nice dinner at a nearby restaurant. They were all having a great time but James and Adriana were obviously dying to go somewhere more private so when they announced that they were calling it a night, it was no surprise.

Sam and Eliza were shyly looking at each other, both trying to guess the other person's thoughts. Draco had spent a good twenty minutes that very afternoon trying to convince Sam to take a chance and ask out Eliza. They all knew that both liked each other but neither had the balls to go out on a limb and risk their friendship. Draco thought that Sam was never going to do it when, a few drinks down, he finally did. Before he was even finished nervously asking out Eliza, she had already enveloped him in a hug and was giving him the kiss of his lifetime. It didn't take long for them to go off on their own, leaving Draco and Hermione by themselves.

The vivacious brunette was gulping down yet another apple cider. She barely had any muggle alcohol and was enjoying the foreign experience. She was getting a bit giggly with the alcohol invading her system. Draco was in a similar state, rather tipsy, albeit much less tittering.

"So, Malfoy. Now that we're alone, tell me why your in bloody Sydney of all places?" Hermione inquired. And so Draco did. He told her far more than she was expecting. Eventually he ran out of things to say about himself and asked her a similar question. They chatted for more than 2 hours, each going on a journey of discovery concerning the others' life.

By this time, the alcohol had made each of the party a little out of their wits. An example of this being that they both thought it an exceptional idea to apparate all the way to Wizarding London for a nice trip at that very moment. They exited the pub, turned into a backstreet and held hands as they side-apparated to Diagon Alley.

After setting their feet on the ground of the city of his childhood, Draco subsequently threw up the contents of his dinner. Hermione promptly followed suit. Apparating, at the best of times, was bad on the stomach, let alone when intoxicated.

Draco stumblingly slouched his arm around Hermione and they went into the nearest place that served alcohol which happened to be the Leaky Cauldron. It was an unfortunate coincidence that some of the other customers present were in the journalism business. It was also unfortunate that they didn't fail to notice the pair using the fireplace to floo themselves to place they announced as 'Malfoy Manner'.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Nope, despite all the out of character personalities depicted, this world still belongs solely to J.K.R. **

**A/N: Many thanks to alltimelowfreak11, dutch potterfan and tripleloopx for reviewing. :) Hope you enjoy this chapter. **

When Hermione Granger awoke from a deep slumber she was inconceivably astounded at her whereabouts. The big and empty mansion felt as empty of happiness as a graveyard. She found herself staring at the fabric sheltering at the top of the elegant four poster bed in confusion, attempting to recollect some memories of the night previous. She didn't need a brain to realise that her and a certain blonde wizard had consummated their non-existent relationship by her lack of clothes and the presence of Draco's, also naked, body steadily breathing beside her.

Miss Granger gave out a silent scream, trying to release some of her annoyance at her stupidity and her partiality to alcohol that got her in this situation. Draco merely tightened his hold on her in his sleep. His left arm was slouched over Hermione's bare stomach as he lay face-down on the exceptionally comfortable bed. She attempted to move it but it would not budge. Hermione eventually let out a purposeful cough. After a few, increasingly loud, coughs the young Malfoy finally woke from his peaceful sleep.

"Oh, good morning," was all that Draco said. Hermione was not particularly happy with this brief and very casual sentiment.

"Is that all you have to say? Could you, perhaps, move your arm of my stomach?" Granger's tone was progressively getting more laced with irritation and Draco could sense that. She probably had the same pounding headache as he did, considering the large quantity of alcohol that they consumed only hours previous.

"Calm down. I've only just woken up, _sweetheart_." Draco did, however, retract his arm back to his own side of his bed. Hermione rose up from the huge bed at hurriedly tried to gather her clothes that were scattered around the room.

"Could you, ah, not look, please?" Hermione requested. She was never one to flaunt her stuff, let alone to Draco Malfoy. He did turn out to be somewhat gentlemanly by complying with his female guests desire, pulling the nearby pillow over his head and momentarily stopping his vision.

"If you look in the top draw in the dresser next the door, there should be some hangover potion's," Malfoy called out, his voice muffled from beneath the expensive pillow.

"What?" Hermione replied whilst still continuing to get dressed. Draco repeated his instructions, but was met by another "what?" from Hermione. He then asked if it was okay to remove the pillow yet, but again Hermione could not decipher his words from beneath his pillow. He gave up trying to communicate with her but did yell a bit into the pillow with the annoyance of not knowing if it would be fine for him to remove the darn pillow.

Hermione's active brown eyes observed the situation before her. She was fully dressed but Draco was still rather unclothed at this point. Thankfully, he was mostly covered by the forest green blankets which saved Hermione the need to blush. She felt it would be cruel to keep Malfoy without the ability to see and so climbed back onto the bed and physically removed the pillow of his face.

He smiled up at her as she did so. She may have regretted her choices of the past but that didn't mean she wouldn't smile in return. That was enough of a good indication to Draco that he went in for the kill, or, more specifically, initiated a passionate kiss. Hermione was caught too off guard to resist. And she's not to rude to admit, if asked, that she thoroughly enjoyed it.

* * *

Originally, when Hermione awoke that morning she was planning on making the quickest exit possible. However, she had forgotten the charming persona that Draco had established since the war and she found it much harder to leave than envisioned. After a heated make-out session and a tickling war she was feeling much more content and less irritable. Mr Malfoy also was the intelligent type that kept anti-hangover potions around so that lifted a weight from her shoulders.

If the war taught Hermione anything it was to revel in the happy moments.

'_So, what the hell?_' Hermione thought to herself.

Draco's company had postponed any consideration of his environment but the moment Hermione left (don't worry, only to go have a shower) he fully realised his whereabouts. He hadn't been to Malfoy Manor more than a few times in the last few years. There were only a few rooms in the mansion that he didn't feel cold hearted in, mainly that of his bedroom and the library. Draco didn't enjoy the empty feeling of the house and happily left it without a thought when he moved to Australia. He had freed all the house elves when he left but they didn't want to leave so Draco left them money and they kept the house from filling to the brim with spider-webs and dust.

When the beautiful brunette witch returned to Draco's company after her shower, she run into the room in a rush.

"I'm sorry, Malfoy. I've forgotten about my parents! They'll be worrying where I am by now. I've got to go." Hermione had had a sudden remembrance that she isn't living alone at her apartment and has someone that will worry about her if she doesn't arrive by a certain time. This was something that her parents where almost certainly doing.

"Oh, okay. I'll take you to the fireplace and you can floo there. You can't apparate from here because of the wards." Draco led her into the living room where there was a large and elegant black fireplace. He pulled her in for a quick kiss before she stepped into the mentioned fireplace and in a moment, she was gone. The young wizard audibly sighed at her disappearance before leaving to the small dining room in which a faithful house-elf was organising his breakfast.

"Hello, Franky. Thank-you for the lovely spread you've prepared for me," Draco said kindly with a smile. There was enough food to serve a whole family of Weasley's for a week but he nonetheless appreciated the effort.

"But of course, Master Draco," Franky said with a low bow. Draco hated that they had such low self-esteem sometimes, but what more could he do?

"Thank you, Franky. That will be all." Franky disappeared with a pop and the young Malfoy sat down and began tucking in to his meal.

'_The house-elves have really outdone themselves this time,' _Draco thought with appreciation of the delicious food. He had become quite good at cooking for himself lately, being proud of his rather tasty recipe of fried rice that he had come to rely on. However, this was nothing in comparison to the high standard of the house-elves at Malfoy Manor.

Beside him was the latest edition of the Daily Prophet which Franky had kindly left out for him to read with breakfast. Draco didn't want to cancel his subscription to the Manor when he left to Australia in order to keep up pretences and confuse the media so he wasn't surprised by its appearance at the table.

Draco looked back on the night before with euphoria and he wasn't shy to admit this to himself. Hermione was a gorgeous young woman who had so much passion and intelligence that meant he could actually respect her whilst enjoying her company immensely. Sure, Malfoy's always had a way with women and this didn't change in muggle Sydney, but he had never really had even a possibility of a lasting relationship to speak of.

He contently unfolded the paper but almost choked on his mouthful of bacon when he saw the front page. His now completely awake eyes stared in staggering shock at the picture of him and Hermione drunkenly kissing at the bar of the familiar Leaky Cauldron. He quickly read through the contents of the article and without blinking went straight to the fireplace in the next room to go visit Hermione. He thought only that she should know about this monstrosity (and it wasn't like he kept in touch with many other magical people that he could rant about it with).

The flickering green flames enveloped him and took him straight to the Wilkins (/Granger's) house in Sydney. He didn't have time to fully come to grips with this different environment because within moments of arriving he was smashed over the head with a frying-pan by a certain brown-haired Granger.

**A/N: Hey, thanks for reading! Please don't hesitate to review; I'd appreciate if you inform me of any grammatical errors that I've looked past. :) Til' next time...**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Not mine; J.K. Rowling's.

Draco awoke from his unconscious state in confusion. He recognised the Granger's living room and was lying, rather uncomfortably, on the hard wooden floor. His hand flew to the back of his head in an attempt to comfort a throbbing bump that had appeared.

"Oh, Draco, I am so sorry! I had no idea you were a wizard and I just came into the room and I didn't know what to do. Hermione is the only person to ever use the fireplace like that so I thought you were a Death-Eater or something like that. I mean, I thought that was strange because the war ended years ago, but still. I was holding a pan - I was making pancakes, you see - and my hands acted of their own accord. Are you okay? Would you like anything? A panadol? An ice-pack? A glass of water? Or perhaps something stronger? My husband has some spirits somewhere, I'm sure, if I can remember correctly..." Mrs Monica Wilkins had begun on one of her famous worrying rants, crouched over Draco's body with anxiety.

"I'm fine, really. Don't worry about it. The fault was all mine. I shouldn't have just floo in unexpected like that," Draco said with an attempt at a smile despite the pain of his head.

During her mother's ramblings, Hermione was hidden from Draco's sight. As Monica finally moved away to find a source of strong alcohol for Draco's non-existent nerves, he set eyes on the woman who had so recently stormed into his life.

She smiled down at him and commented with a laugh, "Who knew? I didn't need to move my parents to Australia. My mother could've defeated Voldemort himself with just kitchen utensils."

Draco laughed in reply but it soon morphed into a groan as the movement was causing extra pain. He could see the worry in Hermione's eyes before she whipped out her wand from her jacket pocket. She began muttering healing incantations, occasionally tapping Draco's sore head with her trusty wand. Soon, he felt the pain edge away and not even the remnant of a headache was left behind.

'_Granger, of course, knows all the perfect healing spells,'_ the young Malfoy thought with a smirk.

"It's not that I'm unhappy with your visit, but was there, perhaps, a reason behind the drastic efforts of such a swift arrival?" enquired Hermione.

Draco, raising up to a sitting position, felt for the paper he had brought with him from his jeans pocket. He was pleased with his decision of placing an expandable charm on all his favourite clothes' pockets. He silently passed the Daily Prophet to the vivacious brunette and looked at her, awaiting her reaction. He didn't have to wait for long, her eyes rapidly covering the front page of the famous newspaper.

"Oh, no, no, no, no..." Hermione quietly said under her breath, more to herself than to Malfoy.

"Was this of your doing?" she asked, worry and anger imminent in her tone.

'_Have I put too much trust into a past enemy? Has he really changed that much? This is evidence that alcohol is never a good idea; it puts me off my instincts,'_ thought Hermione.

Draco was astounded at her insolence. He may have been a git in the past but surely he had proven himself different since then. Hadn't he been the one who had gone all the way to muggle Australia to avoid the bloody press?

"No, of course not! Why would I?" Draco was not happy with this turn of events.

"Well, I wouldn't put it past you. You haven't got a great track record of gentlemanly behaviour, have you? I can't believe I trusted you. This was all some great trick, wasn't it?!" Hermione Granger did not like to be pulled one over by a stupid arrogant Slytherin with a death wish.

"Oh, piss off, Granger. I've changed and grown up since the war. I can't say the same for you and your stuck-up presumptuous ways. Need I remind you that I came here to inform you of this, our liaison on the front page of the stupid Prophet?" Draco, without a second glance at Hermione, strode towards the front door of the modest house.

She heard the front door slam, an indication of Malfoy's leaving. Hermione slumped into her favourite armchair and attempted to clear her mind. She realised she had been prejudiced about Draco and regretted what she said immediately. She death-gripped the paper and glared at the magical, moving photograph of her and her ex-peer.

Her parents came into the room, having keeping their distance whilst Hermione and Draco were fighting. One look at their daughter's face and they knew that they should leave her be and that she wished to be alone. They silently crept out of the living room without a word.

Hermione read aloud in outrage the repulsive article that was far too open and presumptuous for a piece of publicity;

"_Golden-girl, Hermione Granger, head of the __Department__ for the __Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures__, was seen with Draco Malfoy, rich and handsome assumed recluse, last night at the Leaky Cauldron. There is solid evidence that Miss Granger left with Mr Malfoy and that they both went to Malfoy Manor after their night on the town, presumably to spend the night together. After Miss Granger's relationship with professional quiddich player, Ron Weasley, ended last year, it was unknown of the identity of her new beau. Is Mr Malfoy her new boyfriend? Hermione Granger is the only girl to have successfully tempted Draco Malfoy out of reclusion in the last few years. Would we be correct in assuming that wedding-bells will be heard in the near future? More on page 4."_

The brunette scoffed in outrage. She felt terrible and held in the frustrated tears that were threatening to pour down her pale cheeks. If there was anything that made this strong woman cry it was the unpleasant feeling of frustration.

Standing up with a renewed sense of determination, Hermione began to get things straight in her mind. These were the facts she was sure of; Malfoy was unnecessarily absconded for something he didn't do, the Daily Prophet were going to pay and her friends were going to need an explanation and quick.

Her and Ron had dated for a while - far too long than they should have, really - but, ultimately it didn't work out. They were much better off as friends and were both mutually happy with the decision to break-up. He was currently going out with the ever impressive Lavender Brown. That didn't, by any means, meant that he would be totally fine with seeing the front page of the Daily Prophet that morning.

A tap at a nearby window announced the arrival of a beautiful owl that she quickly recognised as Harry's. Hermione opened the window and stroked the bird as it gave her a letter. It read as follows:

_Dear Hermione,_

_How's Australia going?_

_We are all confused and slightly concerned by the news of today's edition of the Daily Prophet. We assume there is a perfectly good explanation and will be eagerly waiting for your reply. _

_Love Harry, Ginny and Ron_

_P.S. All the Weasley clan say hello. _

Hermione knew not to underestimate the understanding of her friends. They knew that the media was often wrong in most, if not all, of the facts, and have experienced this firsthand. She scribbled a short reply that stated that she had met Malfoy here in Australia, it's not as bad as it seems, she not getting married to him and that she'd explain more later. Hermione tied it to the owls leg and she saw it fly away and become a dot in the sky.

The Daily Prophet was going to have to wait for her revenge for a while because she felt that Draco deserved an apology first. She yelled out to her parents that she was going out before apparating to a side street near the cafe that she had only recently visited.

Striding into _Adriana's_, she was quick to notice that the youngest (and in fact only alive) Malfoy was not there. Her friend and owner of said cafe was present, however.

"Hermione, Hey! How was the rest of your night?" she inquired with a wink.

"Ah, good. Thanks. Draco doesn't seem to be in so I, ah, will be off. Nice seeing you." Hermione started to make her way out of the building but was stopped by Adriana's voice.

"He lives just down the block, you know. I could give you his address, if you like..." Adriana suggestively offered. She was going to stick with her wish to set up Hermione and Draco, if only to push them in the right direction.

Hermione considered it for a second before nodding and getting the address of Adriana. Taking into account that Malfoy lived so close, Hermione could see that it probably wouldn't hurt.

Hermione nervously bit her lip in anticipation as she ascended the short flight of stairs to the front door of the apartment block in which Malfoy resided. She was readying herself to buzz the button that corresponded with Draco's apartment when a middle-aged woman was exiting the door in front of her. She kindly opened the door for her and smiled at her when leaving. Hermione was thankful she could talk to Malfoy face to face first instead of awkwardly trying to apologise over the apartment intercom.

After the surprisingly long elevator ride, Hermione reached to the penthouse apartment, her apology cake that she had bought from _Adriana's_ loaded in her hands. She waited in the small lobby for just a moment before knocking on the door to Malfoy's living space.

Draco was sitting watching a rerun of the Mentalist on his impressively large television screen when he heard the knock at the door. He assumed that it was Sam, who often popped over to his apartment, it being much larger and well-stoked with food and alcohol than his own. He thought it strange that Sam didn't just walk in, like he normally did, but didn't think much of it.

"Come on in, mate," Draco yelled over Simon Baker's voice that was coming from his technological best friend. _(A/N: In case you aren't a Mentalist fan, Simon Baker is the leading -and very charming- actor)_

Hermione awkwardly opened the door whilst still trying to balance the cake box after hearing Draco's permission to enter. She gasped at the beautiful apartment which graced her eyes once entering. Draco had his back to her, watching one of her favourite TV shows.

"Hey Sam, I'm beginning to think you should contribute to my grocery bill with the amount you consume on a regular basis," Draco joked to the person who he assumed was Sam behind him.

"Could you grab me a beer while you're up?" Draco requested.

The living room and the kitchen were in the same spacious room so Hermione could spot the fridge from where she was standing. She placed the red velvet cake she had purchased (Draco's favourite, according to Adriana) on the marble kitchen bench and fetched a beer for Draco from the fridge. She let out a deep, refreshing breath before walking over to the couch with Draco on it and sitting down beside him.

Still with his eyes connected to the LCD TV, Hermione passed Draco his ice-cold beer. He glanced over to the figure sitting beside him and spoke, "Thanks ma-a-, Hermione!" Draco suddenly sit up straighter with the surprise when he realised it wasn't Sam. He stared at her for a moment, trying to get over the startle.

Before the handsome blonde could open his mouth to speak again, Hermione apologised. "I'm so sorry, Draco. I was out of line earlier and was just misplacing my anger on you. You have to understand that it's hard to get over how different your character is from before..."

Draco couldn't resist from forgiving Hermione when she looked so embarrassed (and sexy, but mostly the embarrassment).

"It's okay," he said softly as he brushed the hair out of her face and looked deep into her brown eyes. This had the immediate result of making Hermione's cheeks' flush. He gently kissed her lips and when the couple eventually pulled apart, they were smiling.

"Anyway, this article is going to aggravate your life much more than mine," Draco couldn't help but saying with a smirk. The lively witch beside him smacked him playfully on the arm in return.

But Draco was wrong. Boy, was he wrong.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The Wilkins house was abuzz with action for the fortieth wedding anniversary party for Monica and Wendall. The invitations, which had been sent out to more than forty guests, set the time for six pm, which was half an hour ago. The majority of the invited party had arrived and everyone was chatting merrily away. Hermione scanned the room to try and spot anyone in particular that she knew. Unfortunately, given that all the people there were Australian friends of her parents, she had never met anyone of them more than once or twice. This was the reason that the witty witch was standing alone, practically hiding beside a large plant.

"Nibbly, Granger?" A deep voice from just behind Hermione's ear asked. She jumped and let out a small scream from the shock.

"Malfoy!? You scared the hell out of are you doing here?" Hermione began to regain her cool as she inquired.

"Oh, me? I'm your personal waiter for the night," he answered with a smirk. He moved the silver platter right in her face, the food very close to her nose.

"Try one, they're good," Draco urged before using his hand that was not holding the dish to take one of the mini sushi rolls himself and place it in his mouth.

"Mmmmm..." he continued, obviously over-exaggerating the deliciousness of the food for her benefit. She couldn't help but let out a giggle.

"But, in all seriousness, why are you here? Are you crashing my parents wedding anniversary party?" Hermione gently pushed the platter from out of her face and turned to face Draco.

"Now, now, Granger. You're a smart girl. Think for a moment." Malfoy smirked and gestured with his free hand, offering the food to her again. She ignored the sushi and furrowed her brow in concentration. When this expression left her face, Draco smiled down at her and nodded slowly.

"Oh. Right. Of course," she said simply in defeat. Hermione felt a little slow.

'_How did I not automatically realise that he works with the cafe who's catering this party?_' she reflected.

As if know that this was what she was thinking, Draco commented, "Don't worry, hun. I have that distracting effect on most people. Although most people don't question my presence, but are merely thankful for it. You are, perhaps, the first to do so." He gave Hermione one of his classic smirks and simultaneously winked in her direction.

An elderly couple, who Hermione recognised as the next-door neighbours, approached her. Draco stood up straighter as they began chatting to her and he graciously offered them some food that they took with thanks. He saw it polite to move on and serve the rest of the plate fairly by distributing it all around the room. As he left the neighbours and Hermione he blew her a kiss which she silently chuckled at in response.

The remainder of the evening went rather smoothly. Hermione mingled with her parents' friends who were pleasant, but ultimately more than twice her age. There was a certain generation gap between her and most of the guests which made it slightly less entertaining for her than, say, at one of her own friends' parties. But, as a wonderful and loving daughter, Hermione wanted and felt obliged to be there for her parents momentous milestone. She wasn't going to hide, however, that her favourite parts of the night were her short chats with Malfoy and to a slightly lesser extent, her moments with Sam and Adriana who were both there (also running the catering). Whenever Hermione did pop into the kitchen for a chat though, Adriana was often far too busy and stressed for a conversation.

One thing Hermione was thankful of, concerning the average age of the guests, was their tendency not to stay out too late. It meant that almost everyone had left by about midnight. Someone who hadn't yet left, to Hermione's happiness, was the one and only Draco Malfoy.

Sam had left once the majority of the serving was done but Adriana and Draco stayed back to do the final rounds and the cleaning up. Hermione knew that they were getting paid to do this but nonetheless joined in in their cleaning efforts. Whilst Adriana was packing things up in the kitchen, Draco and Hermione, geared up with garbage bags, went to clear up the majority of the scraps and trash around the house.

"I was meaning to ask, what did your pesky friends have to say about that Daily Prophet newsflash of a few days ago? I highly doubt that they didn't ask..." Draco curiously inquired. He had been very eager to know what had gone down but was still keeping up the appearance of casual interest. He may not be a muggle-hating-insulting-son-of-a-bitch-Malfoy anymore, but he still had his pride to live up to. That was something stronger than prejudices that were drummed into him could ever be.

"I haven't really had a chance to talk to them yet, being in a different continent and all. But I'm a grown-up girl, you know. They know that," Hermione answered as she placed a used napkin in her rubbish bag. The blonde man scoffed in disbelief.

"I don't suppose you'd be free next Friday night?" inquired the witch. Draco's eyebrows were raised with smug delight.

"Are you asking me out on a date, Miss Granger? Don't you think you should woo me a bit more?" he asked with a smirk. Hermione looked horrifyingly embarrassed at the misinterpretation of her query.

"Er, ah, not exactly..." she started with a blush. "Well, it's my birthday that day and Ginny is holding me a party and you could come, you know, if you'd like."

Draco considered this. Sure, he liked Hermione and had changed since the war but that didn't mean that he was prepared to hang around with her contemptibly heroic friends.

"Hmmm. Depends. What do I get out of it?" Draco quizzed, turning to face her and stepping closer. Hermione could feel his breath on her cheek from the close vicinity.

She replied with a smile, "Consider it your birthday gift to me..."

Draco shook his head, chuckling softly.

"No, no, hun. I was thinking of a present that's slightly more enjoyable. Something like this..." And within a moment Draco's lips crashed onto Hermione's in a fit of passion. She thanked Merlin that she was at her parents house, otherwise the situation may have escalated further than she originally intended.

Hermione Granger, head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, had an important job. Hermione was an advisor on all issues, despite the position being normally contained to the one area, and was well-liked by everyone in the office, this naturally including the Minister of Magic himself, Kingsley Shacklebolt. In such a demanding and important job in the Ministry, Hermione often worked longer hours than most and felt bad about taking random holidays. Everyone in the office, however, had insisted that she took this break from work to go to her parent's party. Hermione refused with Kingsley to take of the next week additionally, but did accept and appreciate the offer to have her birthday off on the Friday. No one in their right mind would deny the opportunity of a paid day off on their birthday.

After the wedding anniversary party on Sunday night, Hermione left Australia to go home to England. She worked hard all week and had resisted the temptation of apparating off to see Malfoy in some of her sparing moments of free time. Considering the fact that Draco had accepted the invitation to her birthday party, she, as a strong and independent woman, felt she could last four days without his company. Unfortunately for Hermione, she was found it a lot more difficult that originally imagined. She missed his casual and witty persona and the way he looked at her like he knew exactly what she was thinking. She craved his kisses and his small smiles. It got Hermione contemplating, _'Is he thinking about me, too?'_

It took a long time for Draco to think of a good present for Hermione's birthday. He didn't want to get her something that would be too extravagant, but he hardly wanted to buy her just a voucher for Flourish and Blotts either. He narrowed down the things he knew about her. He knew her morals on issues of the news, her love of books and of her partiality for apple pie. But so did most people. Draco's eyebrows narrowed in concentration. He stared at the muted television screen in front of him. He observed Simon Baker suavely solved a crime on the Mentalist.

And then it clicked. Hermione loved the Mentalist. Now you may ask that this is such an important detail about Hermione's life, but Draco saw it as something more. This was something he personally was aware of, while most of the Wizarding world (including all her friends) would have no knowledge of it (it being muggle and all). And then Draco's mind to work. He had some people to call and a perfect present to get.

**A/N: Thanks, again, for reading! I so appreciate the review from Gueh and all the Story Alerts/ Favourite Stories that you all have been doing. I hope you enjoy it. :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Within a week of meeting Hermione Granger again, Draco was going back to the Wizarding world. He could barely digest this fact. He was a wizard, through and through, but he had managed to live without it for years now. If this extreme act could be anymore strange for the young man, it would be the fact that he was about to 'hang-out' with some of his least favourite magical beings. Don't misunderstand that Draco wasn't happy that Scarface beat Voldemort, because he was indeed very thankful, but that by no means meant that he was a happy camper in his presence. Malfoy gave a deep breath before apparating to the dreaded Burrow.

'_Out of all the possible venues...'_ Draco thought with a touch of spite.

The sounds of laughter, conversations and music cascaded into Draco's ears. With Hermione's present in his arms he followed this path of sounds till he found a marquee in the Wesley's backyard. Around him were crowds of people who he hadn't seen in years. So when he spotted Hermione instant relief, in the form of a wide smile, was apparent on his perfectly chiseled face.

Most people, in such a situation, would have felt a bit awkward. But Malfoy being Malfoy still walked towards Hermione, and the group she was chatting to, with a confidence that emphasised his somewhat egotistical nature. Surrounding Hermione were mostly recognisable faces to Draco. He spotted the dreaded Harry Potter, Ron and Ginny Weasley, Neville Longbottom and, to his surprise, his childhood mate Blaise Zabini. The only positive greetings towards Draco were from Blaise and Hermione, although this didn't astonish him.

"Mate! I haven't seen you for eons! How you going lately?" Zabini initiated the first sentence of conversation towards Draco, which he was rather thankful of. Draco accepted the offered handshake and smiled.

"Not too bad. Thanks, Blaise." He said simply in reply.

Draco turned slightly to be facing Hermione.

"Miss Granger," he began with a smirk. "Happy Birthday. I would bow but this enormous present has unfortunately thwarted it. I would appreciate it if you would take it now, it's a little awkward to hold for an extended period of time." Draco passed the large rectangular gift into her arms.

Her brows were furrowed as her mind tried to guess what the present could possibly be. Meanwhile, most of the party around her were very confused at the most recent arriver.

Harry gave a awkward cough following with a nod and a curt greeting, "Malfoy."

"Nice seeing you, Potter." Draco revelled in Harry's (and everyone else's) perplexed expressions after he spoke with such a kind tone.

"Calm down, guys. I ran into Hermione about a week ago, we hit it off and she invited me to her party. It's hardly so preposterous that we can't get over our differences, right? Let me start the ball rolling; I'm sorry for being a dick in the past..." Draco's ensuing apology was cut off as Hermione ripped off the green wrapping paper of Draco's present.

What was revealed was nothing that Hermione, or any of the others, would have guessed. The gift was pretty recognisable as a large picture frame from the shape but the photograph was not even considered as a possible guess before being unwrapped. An elegant golden frame surrounded a photo of Simon Baker (that guy from the Mentalist) smiling charmingly. What was more bewildering was the fact that the picture was motionless - a muggle photo - and the dedication that covered the bottom right portion.

Inscribed on the photo was:

_Hermione,_

_Happy Birthday! _

_Hope you have a wonderful life,_

_Simon Baker._

_P.S. Draco tells me that you have a partiality for charming blondes and I can't help but feel honoured by this. We are a dying breed so can I give a word of advice? If you have one in your sights, don't let him go. _

As Hermione reached the last sentence she unintentionally let out a giggle. She felt personally touched by the thoughtful gift that Draco had given her. How he pulled it off, she had no idea. It was such a random present and so unexpected, yet it still told Hermione that he cared about her; silly celebrity crushes and all.

'_Knowing him, he has contacts everywhere. Including in the muggle television industry,'_ she pondered.

Her arms enveloped Draco in a thankful hug.

'Thank-you! It's wonderful. I can't believe you did that.' she whispered to him during the embrace.

Draco couldn't help himself from smirking as he softly replied in her ear, "And that wasn't even the best part of the present. If you show me to the closest bedroom, you can unwrap your extremely attractive gift..."

Hermione whacked him on the arm, laughing good-naturedly at his suggestive comment.

The rest of the evening went swimmingly. After a few drinks, even Ron had welcomed Draco and his new character. It even got down to first-name basis between everyone and Draco by the end of the night. Hermione couldn't be more pleased. It was almost completely absurd to have invited Draco to a party filled with all her over-protective friends where anything could have happened. She noticed that at the beginning everyone was being civil, with the exception of Blaise, just for her benefit. However, once people got used to his newfound persona they seemed to accept him. She couldn't help but laugh at Harry and Ron when they saw her parents recognise and greet Draco with effortless warmness. All in all, it was a success. At the end of the evening, Hermione even got to unwrap her second present from Draco and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Unfortunately, an unknown wizard slipped into the crowds of guests without the notice of the birthday girl and heard all the intimate conversations of the party-goers. This did not exclude the retellings of Draco's recent past to his newfound friends. The icing on the cake is that this one wizard eavesdropping happened to have a job at the Daily Prophet.

**A/N: Thanks for reading. Sorry about the short chapter...**

Also, after digging through some old files I found my sister's long forgotten dramione fanfic from 5 years ago. I've uploaded the first chapter and if you feel like having a peek, please do!

It's called **'The Investigations of a Vengeful Brunette' **and here's the synopsis in case you wanted to read it. It's vague so that none of the interesting twists are revealed before you actually read it. :)

When Hermione's life and the Ministry go into disarray, her sleuthing abilities come into play. Add the case file of the immensely arrogant and attractive Draco Malfoy and she has quite a workload.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

_Unfortunately, an unknown wizard slipped into the crowds of guests without the notice of the birthday girl and heard all the intimate conversations of the party-goers. This did not exclude the retellings of Draco's recent past to his newfound friends. The icing on the cake is that this one wizard eavesdropping happened to have a job at the Daily Prophet. _

Draco entered the cafe with a familiarity that only time can give. Two days had passed since the night of Hermione's birthday party and he felt like he was on a constant high. His contentment with life, an outcome of his new relationship with the feisty brunette, was apparent on his face to anyone looking upon him. Turning on the music on full blast, as he always did, Draco began to get everything ready for opening. Alone in his own thoughts he reflected on the beautiful witch currently sleeping in his bed only a few blocks away. Draco let out a smirk as he remembered the entertaining events of the night previous that took place in the very room Hermione was still in. He considered that he easily could get used to that.

When Adriana, and eventually the other staff members on that day, arrived they were all chatting about the obscure customers they had been getting in the last few days.

"It was so strange. This man, dressed in what seemed to be clothes from the eighties, tried to buy a cake with this weird gold currency that I've never seen before. And then he kept asking for 'butter-ale' or something like that." Adriana was explaining to Draco.

Draco, out of the natural tendency to correct misnaming products, rectified swiftly, "It's butter-beer." And then he began actually listening to what was being said. He stood up straight, his grey eyes widened from adrenaline.

Adriana didn't have time to question Draco's knowledge of this unknown drink as he quickly continued, "Have there been any other people like this come in lately?"

"Yeah, quite a few. It's been crazy. Must be full moon or something, ay? Oh, and this one brunette guy came and asked for you..." replied Adriana.

Sam, who had been listening to the conversation of Draco and Adriana, took this moment to butt in, "I overheard this group of middle-aged guys talking about you. They all had these big retro camera's with them. Are you like secretly a famous cult leader or something, mate?"

Draco laughed nervously in reply. Sam continued, "And one of them was wearing like graduation robes. I thought it was weird 'cause he looked quite old to be finishing uni only now."

The brain of the attractive blonde was about to explode with considerations and questions.

'_How did they find me?_' he wondered with concern.

He didn't have to wonder long because in less than five minutes, now about 9:30, a huge rush of obscurely dressed people entered the cafe. In a blur of terrible fashion, flashlights of the magical camera's blinded Draco momentarily. A mass of questions were being flooded towards him. When Draco didn't reply straight away the reporters decided it was a great idea to just raise their voices to more of a shout. Draco dared not glance at the confused expressions on Adriana's and Sam's faces for more than a second. Acting with speed, Draco began to speak in a loud, authoritative tone, "Please follow me outside. This is hardly the place for this. Need I remind you of some serious laws in which you are all obstructing?"

Only soft murmurs between reporters were heard as they followed Draco out of the cafe and into a side street. As he left the cafe he curtly apologised to Adriana, "I'm sorry. I'll explain later. I've got to go." Far too confused and concerned, Adriana didn't try to stop him.

In the side street close to _Adriana's_, the very place where Hermione had apparated to on the day she met up with her parents, Draco stood before a crowd of attentive journalists and photographers. The suspense was killing them. They soon began to get rowdy again, yelling out questions to Draco that were, in his opinion, completely absurd.

Draco cleared his voice with a small cough before beginning, "Although my life is no concern of yours whatsoever, I will be holding a press conference tomorrow to get the facts straight. I demand, however, that you never step back in that cafe. It is an obstruction of magical awareness laws concerning muggle establishments. Do not make me file against every one of you impertinent gits."

With a menacing scowl on his face, one reporter still dared to ask a question, "Where will the conference be?"

"Ah, okay. An actual question, that's a surprise!" The crowd gave out a bit of a laugh as Draco's charming nature began to crack through the surface.

"It'll probably be at the foyer at the Ministry. I'm sure I'll see you all there. Adios amigo's." And with a small wave and a pop, Draco disappeared and apparated to his apartment. He could hardly go back to work after this... there were no words that could explain the situation to his boss and friends. He did, however, sent a quick text to Adriana: _Can't come back to work. Sorry. Will explain later. Will buy next round at the pub in an attempt at forgiveness?_

Within a moment a reply lit up the screen of his iPhone: _All good, bit slow here anyways. And yes, definitely, probably the next four rounds :) We are all very confused and intrigued... Not going to give a hint as to what happened?_

Draco's mind was blank when clarifying the incident in the cafe just decided to not reply to Adriana's inquisitorial text.

"Draco! I thought you were working till three today, is everything okay?" Hermione had entered the living room/kitchen area to see Draco standing with his phone clasped in his hand. He chucked it on the nearby couch and approached the passionate brunette. He didn't fail to notice how sexy she looked in one of his big jumpers, no pants -at least none he could see, it was possible that she was wearing some considering how long his jumper was on her but he preferred not to think like that- and her curly hair in a attractive mess.

He explained the recent escapades of the morning whilst enveloping her in a big hug. Draco intermittently kissed her neck and face, running his hands up and down her body, as he recounted.

She stopped his attentions and ran into the bedroom. Draco was about to follow her, thinking that she was leading him to his personal heaven, but she soon returned holding a newspaper.

"I was catching up on my reading this morning, I haven't had much time for it lately, you see," Hermione gave a suggestive wink to Draco which he couldn't help but contently smirk at. She continued, " I found this article. You might want to take a peek at it."

She handed over the Daily Prophet and he read the article that said as follows:

'_The relationship between Draco Malfoy and favourite member of the golden-trio, Hermione Granger is definitely serious after both were spotted at Miss Granger's birthday party last week. Despite keeping up the charade of being a recluse, Malfoy has been discovered to be working as a waiter in a muggle cafe in Australia. What has become of this extremely rich pureblood? It is thought he is resorting to this form of employment because of the Malfoy assets having all become bankrupt. More research is being done to get the news to you, faithful Prophet readers, first. Keep watching this space for updates on Draco Malfoy news.'_

Draco looked from Hermione's concerned face and back to the paper. He let out a sigh, conceding to the situation he was in. He felt resolved as he stated his thoughts to Hermione, "I think it's time I returned to London."

**Thanks for reading! Special thanks to puppy13337, Pug1998 and wingsrookie for reviewing last chapter. I really appreciate it! :)**

**If your in need of more to read check out my sister's story (it's on my account) called 'The Investigations of a Vengeful Brunette'. I think it's fantastic but I could be a bit bias. But if I can like it still after editing it a few times then maybe you might enjoy it too. :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

_Draco looked from Hermione's concerned face and back to the paper. He let out a sigh, conceding to the situation he was in. He felt resolved as he stated his thoughts to Hermione, "I think it's time I returned to London." _

"Thank you all for coming. I've organised this press conference today because, as you all very well know, there has been some inaccurate accounts of my life." Draco spoke in a powerful and calm tone, his wand touching his neck, an enchantment causing his voice to project. He glanced around the Ministry of Magic foyer to see a crowd of attentive witches and wizards. Within this mass, to the far left, was the smiling face of Hermione Granger.

He continued, "The war had a devastating effect on all of us. In my case, I found that a change of scenery was just the remedy I needed. For the last few years I've been living, working and enjoying life in muggle Australia. And hey, don't knock it till you try it."

Draco's audience gave out a soft chuckle. He paused a moment before resuming, "As to my financial status, I can only assure you that I am perfectly stable. And if you have any other doubts then perhaps you should ask your superiors. They may inform you of the new and attractive edition to the share partners of the Daily Prophet. And, as you all well know, that owning fifty-one percent of the shares costs a rather large sum of money…"

Draco glanced at Hermione and gave a little smirk. Her eyebrows were raised in interest and surprise. Draco thought that his new shares might take her breath away. And it did indeed. Malfoy's couldn't help themselves from amazing people.

"Any questions?" He offered to the crowd of reporters and interested bystanders.

The swarm before Draco began shouting out inquiries into his life. One particular gentleman with a strong baritone voice was heard above them all, so Draco decided to answer him. "What's your relationship with Hermione Granger?" said the reporter.

"Ahh, Hermione. She's a looker, isn't she? My relationship with Miss Granger is _mostly _professional. She has, just today in fact, decided to be one of my political advisor's in my running for Minister of Magic."

Hermione was even more surprised at this statement. He had told her nothing at all to do with any candidacy. '_Sneaky bastard_', she thought with a smile and a touch of annoyance.

While Hermione was being astounded by Draco's word's, the press were awake and roaring questions towards Draco. To them, he was a headline goldmine. Draco decided to keep them hungry for more and only answered a few more questions. He and Hermione had previously organised to apparate separately to her London apartment after the conference as to not create any more news for the paper by being seen leaving together. When the blonde wizard arrived to Hermione's apartment she was waiting in the living room, sipping at a hot mug of tea.

"You didn't think to tell me, did you?" Hermione inquired with a sigh. She didn't know what she should be feeling. They hadn't been going out for much time so he didn't necessarily have an obligation to tell her all his secret plans. She didn't have to feel to happy about it though.

"Oh, I did, but I decided that a surprise would be nice for you." Draco grabbed the spare cup of tea from a nearby table, assuming correctly that it was intended for him.

"Hmmm," Hermione considered his words. She studied Draco's face as she did so. Hermione noticed, not for the first time, his very attractive appearance and felt a bit bland and boring in comparison. He didn't make her feel insecure for very long as he joined her on her red couch and snuggled up next to her body.

"I'm your political advisor, ay? I don't remember agreeing to that… In fact, I don't remember you even asking for my advice in the very choice of running for Minister of Magic. I'm not doing my job very well so far, am I?"

"How could you deny this face?" Draco asked with a smirk and a laugh, gesturing to his perfectly chiseled face.

"It may be somehow possible. I didn't even think you'd like to be a candidate…?"

"It was always an option in the back of my mind but after the war I didn't see much point. Now that part of my life is over, I thought 'why not?'" he replied with a shrug.

"But you hated the media butting into your life. This isn't necessarily the best way to go about that, you know", pointed out Hermione. Draco respected her so much for her intelligence and was the natural choice when he was first thinking about his campaign team. He considered that she may not have the time or want to be a full time advisor so decided that Blaise Zabini was a pretty good backup. Thankfully, Blaise said yes.

"Ah, yes, about that. Well, I rather go all in or all out. And this way I have a bit of input in it all as well…" said the handsome blonde.

"As your political advisor, my first suggestion is sell those shares. If you plan to be seen as impartial then controlling the media isn't the perfect strategy." Hermione put down her mug on the table and leaned her head on Draco's comfortable shoulder.

"I'll think about that, love. I was more trying to prove a point. Ha! Like the Malfoy fortune could be anything but immeasurable!" He wrapper his strong arms around Hermione in a warm hug.

"Mmmm, it can only barely compete with the Malfoy ego…" Hermione joked.

"You're going to pay for that, Miss Granger!" Draco said as he began tickling Hermione till she begged for mercy.

**A/N: Hey guys! Many thanks to the reviews of _ohsobrilliant, puppy13337, Beaufale_, and _Pug1998_, I really appreciate it, as always. Don't hesitate to review and tell me what you think of the story. Bit of an unexpected turn this chapter, sorry about the shortness… **

Again, if you need anything to read, take a look at my sisters story (which is on my account of CaptainFlamingoPants). It's called '**The Investigations of a Vengeful Brunette**' and I can tell you she's got a hell of a story designed. :)


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Sorry if there is any inaccuracy in the elections for Minister of Magic, I'm not expert of the field. Hope you enjoy it!**

**Chapter 9**

Malfoy Manor, once dark and lifeless, has become a bustling and open home for the entire campaign team for Draco's candidacy. The first week of running for office has been hectic to say the least. Being a late contender, the young master Malfoy has had to make up this time by working three times as hard. Thankfully, he choice a brilliant team of highly capable and intelligent wizards and witches to assist him in this process. The largest ballroom of the manor had been transformed into the office area for most of the workers, desks and cubicles filling the room to the brim, spare rooms acting as the offices for the more higher-ranking employees.

Draco entered the area and was instantly bombarded with questions, offers and reminders of his many commitments. He waved them all of with a small gesture of his hand, striding towards his personal office. All the crowd dispersed except for his trusty friend, Blaise Zabini. It was only because Draco wanted to vanish completely from the entirety of the Wizarding world that he didn't stay in touch with him after the war. They had always been rather close, and fighting on the light together only made this bond stronger.

When the pair reached Draco's office, Draco let out a sigh of exhaustion as he relaxed into his big and comfortable chair.

"Okay, this is the latest schedule. You have a photo-op with Minister Kingsley tomorrow morning and you have a speech at the S.P.E.W fundraising ball in an hour." Blaise handed Draco one of the constantly changing agenda's as he reminded him of his rapidly approaching plans. He never had breaks for much longer than an hour and he took whatever rest he could. He had barely found time to see Hermione, although that was his number-one priority in his downtime. Hermione had been present at most meetings but she still was working full-time at the Ministry and it was difficult for her to do both simultaneously. As department head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, Draco assumed that it was Hermione that suggested his attendance and address at the dinner for S.P.E.W. She had retired as president of the organisation after it became a quite prominent charity since its relaunch as few years previous, but still held a soft spot for the agency. Draco knew that Hermione, despite her passion for working for the rights of all magical creatures, was probably a bit bored and unchallenged in her department. _'First thing as Minister of Magic'_, thought Draco, '_is to give her the big promotion that she deserves'_.

"Will Hermione be there tonight?" Draco considered the pleasurable possibility aloud to Blaise.

"Yeah, I think so, mate. But don't spend the whole night attached to her side. You have to mingle." Draco gave a small pout at this.

"You _are_ running for Minister, you know…" Blaise's words didn't change Draco's feelings whatsoever. He was happy that he got to talk to Hermione that night, even if it was only for a few moments.

"I'd better get ready. It takes time to prepare such a work of art," joked Draco as he rose to go to his bedroom and pick out one of his many suits and dress-robes. Blaise scoffed as he returned to his own office and went back to his perpetual state of working his arse off.

* * *

The large ballroom was incredibly enchanting as Hermione entered. The ceiling, like it often was at Hogwarts, was a magical night sky, stars sparkling like the dresses of the elegant guests. The best thing, other than the large sum of money raised for charity, was that the guests got to wear the fanciest clothes imaginable. Hermione, not often used to this level of extravagant dress, felt a little self-conscious in her beautiful gold gown. It was strapless evening gown with a sequinned bodice. She felt like a princess in it but nonetheless felt outdone by the other guests. Her hair was curled and cascaded over her shoulders. (**A/N: if you want to see the dress I've pictured, it's on **

******http:/ www .promgirl. com/ shop/ dresses/ viewitem-PD737502**

******Because of some stupid reason, Fanfiction won't let me just put the website up so you have to delete the spaces I've put in... Sorry)**

She was a divine beauty and this was obvious to all who set their eyes upon her. Draco was the first to admit her stunning looks. He thought it adorable that she didn't even realise it. In a moment of spotting her from across the room, Draco appeared before her, bowing chivalrously. Her gently took her hand and kissed it.

"Madame, may I say that you look absolutely enchanting tonight…" he complimented with a smile. Hermione blushed in reply.

"You don't look too shabby yourself," commented Hermione, appreciating Draco's impeccable good-looks.

They happily spoke for a few minutes before Draco was approached by some boring Ministry official. Draco could hardly deny this man his attention so begrudgingly stopped wooing Hermione and began mingling. Before Hermione walked off to speak to some people she recognised, Draco whispered into her ear, "I'll be finding you for a dance later." And with a wink, they parted ways. Draco thought he saw her chatting and laughing away with Harry and jealously contemplated his own, much more depressing, fate of circulating the room. Nevertheless, Mr Malfoy was as charming as always.

* * *

A small string orchestra played on a slightly raised wooden platform. The soft, beautiful music filled the ballroom and reminded Draco of his promise. He located Hermione easily, the gold sequins on her dress glittering in the soft lighting of the room. He excused himself from a conversation with a middle-aged woman about the welfare of squibs and advanced toward the ravishing brunette.

"May I have this dance?" asked Draco to a smiling Hermione.

"Yes, yes you may." They glided across the dance-floor with ease as Draco lead Hermione with a grace that his many dancing lessons -they were mandatory as a Malfoy, taken by his mother's insistence- had long ago drummed into him.

"Draco?" said Hermione, very much comforted by the strong arms of Draco. She had missed him in the last week, they didn't get much time to see each other.

"Hmm?"

"What are we doing?" Hermione wasn't one to like not knowing everything. Relationships were not excluded from this desire. She wanted them to both be on the same page.

"Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure we're dancing…" he replied with a smirk. Draco liked winding Hermione up, it was so entertaining.

"You know what I mean, Malfoy. What are _we_ doing? Where are we at?"

"Hermione. I really, really like you. You're amazing in so many ways."

"That's a good start…" she said with a smile but still a touch of trepidation. "I really like you, too."

Draco stopped dancing, holding Hermione close in the middle of the dance floor, mid-song. He looked into her deep, brown eyes and said, very seriously, "Hermione, will you be my girlfriend?" There weren't many other ways to ask this question, no matter how awkward it may sound.

"Now that was easy, wasn't it?" she said with a laugh. Draco smiled but raised his eyebrows questioningly.

"Yes, I'd love to."

**Thanks to puppy13337, Pug1998, LoversCure and Slytherin ice princess for reviewing. I'm super grateful to all your comments. :) (Also thanks to all you fabulous munchkins who have put me and/or the story on alert and/or favourite-d it. Cheers!) **


	10. Chapter 10

******Chapter 10**

_Draco stopped dancing, holding Hermione close in the middle of the dance floor, mid-song. He looked into her deep, brown eyes and said, very seriously, "Hermione, will you be my girlfriend?" There weren't many other ways to ask this question, no matter how awkward it may sound. _

"_Now that was easy, wasn't it?" she said with a laugh. Draco smiled but raised his eyebrows questioningly. _

"_Yes, I'd love to."_

* * *

Draco was not the only Minster candidate present at the S.P.E.W. fundraising ball that evening. There was really only one serious contender against Draco; Anthony Goldstein. Despite the Malfoy tendency not to notice anything that didn't concern themselves, Draco vaguely remembered that Goldstein was in Ravenclaw and in his year at Hogwarts. Goldstein, with a strong build and short cropped brown hair, was a obvious choice for Minister for Magic, that is, until Draco entered the running.

It was not a pleasant sensation when he discovered that Anthony Goldstein was also attending the event. However, Draco felt much more smug when he ascertained that he was the only candidate making a speech that night. The speech went swimmingly, everyone applauded loudly to his great words and consequently Draco felt one of his many ego boosts. This boost deflated somewhat, however, when he spotted his newly deemed girlfriend being chatted up by the enemy. _The audacity of him!' _thought Draco_, 'if there wasn't tons of press around, he would pay for this.'_

Just as Draco was about to approach Hermione and his disliked adversary, Harry's face popped up next to him.

"Hey, Draco! How you going?" greeted Harry, shaking Draco's hand. After getting over their original disregard for each other, Draco and Harry were on their way to being pretty good friends.

"Harry! Can't complain. What about you? Your wedding is soon approaching…" Draco replied, conversationally recalling Potter's imminent marriage ceremony.

"Yeah, it's getting rather close. Olivia is going crazy with planning, I barely get to see her."

Harry and Ginny, much like Ron and Hermione, had a short relationship before deciding that it wasn't working out for the best. He had a hard time trying to find a woman who wanted to be with him for his personality rather than his heroic past, fame or money. Harry met Olivia in a muggle pub. She had no idea that he was anything other than a good looking young man with disheveled black hair and a charming, boyish smile. Occasionally they had a bit of trouble because Olivia was muggle, but they still loved each other dearly and had a much healthier relationship then most.

"I completely understand, mate. With the election on, I scarcely get to spend time with Hermione outside of meetings." Draco accompanied his words with a sigh. With the mention of Hermione's name, the two strapping young gentlemen glanced over to the woman in question from across the room. She was laughing at something that Mr Goldstein was saying. Draco felt his eyes narrow with contempt as he glared at his rival.

"Anthony's a nice guy. He was in the DA with Hermione and I back in the day. He'll be hard to beat, but you know you've got my vote."

"We'll see. Sorry, Potter but I think I'll take advantage of being in the same room as Hermione. I'll see you later." Draco gave Harry a friendly pat on his arm before striding towards his girlfriend.

"Wait, Dra-" Harry started but Draco had already gone out of earshot. He was going to warn him about Hermione's overprotective and often defensive stance about her relationship with her friends. Sure, her and Anthony weren't that close but she would not appreciate any discourtesy towards Goldstein._ 'Oh, whatever. Let him find out the hard way,_' Harry resolved to himself.

"Goldstein." Draco greeted the Minister for Magic candidate curtly after giving Hermione a very warm welcome in the form of a heated kiss. _'Suck it, Goldstein_,' he thought as he surprised Hermione with his lips. He could feel the man's jealous eyes piercing into him at the public display of affection in front of him. He had interrupted their conversation but Draco honestly assumed that it was probably just annoying babble on Goldstein's part. He couldn't help but hate the guy. Draco withdrew from the kiss with a smirk. They were boyfriend and girlfriend now, why not flaunt it?

"Excuse us, Anthony. It was nice catching up." She smiled at Anthony but it was obvious, even to Draco, that Hermione was not particularly happy with being interrupted so.

Hermione grabbed onto Draco's sleeve and basically pulled him outside to a deserted area. The soft hum of music was heard in the background as she began to speak.

"That was hardly appropriate, Draco." Her words were laced with annoyance.

"Oh, come on. He's the enemy anyway. And we're 'official' now, surely that means that we don't have to hide our partiality to each other?" he retorted.

"When did we ever discuss telling people, not to mention the media, about us? I think I would have remembered such a conversation!"

"We haven't been that discreet, I'm sure the tabloids already know…" Draco commented, thinking that Hermione looked particularly sexy when she was ranting.

"That's not for you to decide! And Anthony isn't the 'enemy', don't you dare demonise such a good person.." She was getting increasingly livid.

"Oh, bullshit. A 'good person' wouldn't ogle a girl who is obviously taken." Draco was meeting her heightened rage.

"He wasn't ogling. You're just jealous!"

"He was! The fucking nerve of him!" In a quieter, seething voice, more to himself, Draco commented, "Bloody bastard, leering at something of mine."

Hermione had drowned the contents of her champagne glass when she heard this last remark. She coughed on her drink and looked at Draco with a revived sense of anger.

"Excuse me? I am not, and will never be, an object that you can own."

And then she slapped him right on his right cheek. Draco brought his hand up to his aching face in hurt surprise. Before leaving she remarked, "have a nice time winning the election without my vote."

The beautiful brunette pushed past Draco towards the ballroom in a outraged rush. He called out after her, but she didn't even flinch in reply.

The cherry on top of the sundae of misery for Draco was, once he returned to the party, spotting Hermione leaving with Goldstein. Harry observed the turn of events with a knowing sympathy. He had firsthand felt the wrath of Hermione and correctly assumed that the downcast Draco had just suffered a whopper of a argument. The night was quickly going downhill for the charming Malfoy, but there were still more horrors to come. A reporter approached the disheartened Draco with many questions that he didn't want to think about, let alone answer.

"I believe I just spotted Miss Granger leaving with Mr Goldstein, one of your fellow candidates, yet she was also pictured being kissed by you only moments ago. Any comments?"

**A/N: Much obliged to the reviews of Divess, puppy13337, Pug1998 and alltimelowfreak11. **

**Also, to all you fellow Dramione writers out there, if you have any suggestions of great stories to read then please inform me. :) I'm always on the lookout. If you tell me your story name, I'll check it out and review to let you know what I think. xx**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

"_I believe I just spotted Miss Granger leaving with Mr Goldstein, one of your fellow candidates, yet she was also pictured being kissed by you only moments ago. Any comments?"_

* * *

Draco Malfoy was in a bit of a pickle. His fleeting relationship was always on his mind and he wasn't in much of a position to do anything about it. He had tried visiting her apartment but was never allowed in. After owling her she had made it even clearer that she didn't want to see him. He hardly had time to think up an elaborate plan to win back her affections with the election campaign going on. The only thing that made Draco stick to his work was the thought that once he won he would have the time to find a way to get Hermione back into his life.

A few weeks past since the dreaded S.P.E.W. ball. Blaise instantly deduced something was wrong when Draco came to work in a depressed slouch. At one point in the retelling of the crushing break-up, Draco was ready to give up his candidacy. That was until Blaise pointed out that he would be basically handing over the Minster for Magic title to Goldstein, and this was something he could never do. So Blaise managed to be convincing enough that Malfoy was ready to continue with the campaign, reinvigorated with the prospect of beating Goldstein.

When Blaise came up with the idea of holding a spectated debate, Draco jumped to it. What better way to prove his own magnificence than by directly comparing it to that of Goldstein's, all observed by the media? After Goldstein's office agreed to the event, it wasn't long before plans were made.

Tonight was the night.

* * *

After the dramatic affair with Draco at the fundraising ball, Hermione was in no mood to be courted. She knew that it would only make things worse if she accepted Goldstein's offer of a date. However, whenever her sane reasoning started speaking, her enraged, resentful side yelled above this logic. So much so that Hermione found herself accepting Anthony's attention, more out of spite towards Draco than from true romantic feelings. She completely regretted this decision by the time of the date, but could hardly cancel on poor Anthony so last minute.

They had gone to a little muggle restaurant in France, all organised by Anthony. It was very sweet, Hermione couldn't deny it, but she couldn't help but feel that everything was far too awkward for her liking. Unbeknown to Hermione, there was someone, another wizard, watching her and Anthony in that restaurant.

It had been three weeks since the ball and about two weeks since her rendezvous with Anthony. Hermione was getting back into to the drudging work of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. She didn't like to admit it to people but it was often very unstimulating work. She had worked hard to become department head but all it meant was a slightly higher salary for the same work. It was one of the smallest sectors of ministry and Hermione felt that she was sometimes patronised by some of the other heads. Saying that, it was convenient for Hermione that one of her best friends, Harry, was a fellow head (of the Auror's office) and they made a tradition of going out for drinks after the head of department meetings.

Those ministry meetings were possibly the most uneventful congregation of people in the history of the world. This time of the year was even more tedious than usual because of the election for Minister for Magic. However, in Hermione's experience, everything in the Ministry only ever happened at glacial pace, if that. Both Hermione and Harry were in dire need of a drink so were very enthusiastic to participate in their post-meeting ritual.

Hermione had always prided herself in being observant of the world. She knew in an instant that there was something wrong with Harry's whole countenance.

"What's up?" she inquired to the slightly jumpy wizard.

"Nothing. Nothing. Ah, um, shall we side-apparate? I thought we could go to this new place that I found…" Harry said, a hint of nervousness in his tone.

"_Or_ you could tell me the name and we could apparate separately instead. It's much less unpleasant that way."

"No! No, I, ah, can't remember the name so, yeah." Harry cursed himself for ever agreeing with Draco to carry out a favour like this. They had gone out a few times since encountering each other at Hermione's birthday party all that time ago and consequently had become quite close. Harry offered his arm to Hermione, which with a sigh she took, before apparating to the venue of the political debate of Goldstein and Malfoy. He could have hardly told Hermione where they were going; she would have undoubtably flat out refused. When the beautiful brunette realised her surroundings she gave a harsh glare towards Harry.

"Harry! What are we doing here? And don't give me that look, Mister!" Hermione whispered viciously to her best friend.

"I'm sorry! Draco begged me to get you here. I think you should give him a chance. He _really_ likes you, Hermione. Please stay…" Harry pleaded. With a pout on his face, Hermione couldn't help conceding. They sat down in some spare seats a few rows from the back of the hall and within seconds the debate started.

"Hello and welcome to the very exciting political debate between Minister for Magic candidates, Draco Malfoy and Anthony Goldstein!" the booming voice of the presenter, Mr Bishop, quietened the lively audience.

"Please give a warm welcome to Mr Anthony Goldstein!" the presenter spoke as Goldstein waved to the audience and entered from out of sight onto the stage.

"Don't hold back your applause for the newest contender, Mr Draco Malfoy!" Draco entered, smiling charmingly. Goldstein was already standing behind his lectern but before Draco did the same but to his own, he strode over to his opponent and offered his hand in an amiable handshake. The effect of this simple, polite approach was that Draco looked like a respectful candidate whilst Goldstein, who didn't offer any greetings, was portrayed as awkward and ungracious. Before they even had a chance to speak, Malfoy was winning. '_This is going to be easier than I thought,_' pondered Draco as he retreated behind his stand. He scanned the audience to see if Harry had indeed carried out his favour. To his happiness, he spotted Harry and Hermione a few rows from the back.

The many questions that were asked to the two competitors were, overall, handled very well. Draco had to admit that Goldstein had good control over his words and could construct some impressive answers to even the trickiest inquiries.

Hermione was wriggling in her seat as she waited for minutes on end, watching the debate before her. Not because it was uninteresting but because the sight of Malfoy was making her feel uncomfortable. She wanted, more than she was willing to admit to herself, to run up on the stage and snog the hell out of him and forget their whole fight. But Hermione kept to her morals. Draco said some out of line comments that she couldn't just disregard.

The presenter provided another question towards Draco and Anthony, "After some thorough reviews of current laws, it has been found that some portions of legislation are either sexist, blood or magical-creature discriminatory. What are your views on this and if you were voted into the Ministry, what would you do about it?"

"Well," Goldstein began. "I think it's terrible but lets face it: these laws are old. These magical statutes are very hard to break and it would take loads of time and money that could be used for more useful changes. Each government only has a short span in the Ministry and mine would unfortunately have different priorities."

The presenter nodded at this before handing over the attention to Draco.

"Everything that is worth changing, is hard to do. Why should we now, after the tragedies of the war behind us, still back down in the face of these terrible injustices? It's easy for us personally to say it's not a big issue, _Goldstein_, because we are wizards of high standing in the world. If these laws have to be reformed for us to be a stronger, more equal society then what is stopping us? Money? Time? Nothing is worth more than the riches of freedom and equality.

"A recent encounter with a very strong-willed woman gave me an epiphany; there are many more intelligent, emotionally and morally superior people than I who have less rights than I do. How is that, in any way, fair? They all deserve our utmost respect, and if I was elected as Minister for Magic the first thing I would implement would be these changes to the inequitable laws of our community."

At the conclusion of Draco's passionate speech, the spectators broke into an applause that was unprecedentedly loud. Hermione couldn't help but give a small smile. _'Damn that hunky jerk,_' she thought, catching Draco's eye for a moment and sharing an inadvertent smile with him.

"We have time for just one more question. This one is concerning something we are all intrigued about… Miss Hermione Granger, famous heroine of the war now Ministry employee, is a very curious character. She has been seen kissing you, Mr Malfoy but also leaving a fundraiser ball with you, Mr Goldstein. Do either of you wish to comment?"

Anthony shook his head 'no'. He was taking the 'I'm-so-chivalrous-because-I-don't-kiss-and-tell' approach.

Draco, on the other hand, planned to speak his mind. "Mr Bishop!" he spoke to the presenter in exaggerated shock, "are you insinuating that Miss Granger is anything less than the most respectable, heavenly woman alive?"

Mr Bishop, the presenter, looked incredibly sheepish and stumbled over his denial. "Of-of course not!"

Hermione blushed, getting increasingly embarrassed about the content of the debate. Draco laughed and replied, "I'm kidding, I'm just messing with you." The audience chuckled with him; Hermione was constantly amazed at his charm and ability to entrance a whole hall-full of people.

"I know you wouldn't dare, Mr Bishop, sorry. Hermione is undeniably the most precious, lively, beautiful, deserving witch in all the land, am I right or am I right?" Draco inquired of the audience who replied in enthusiastic woots, applause and cries of agreement. Hermione was famous for her great character and heroic nature, so how could they not respond in such a way?

Goldstein was not looking happy at this dramatic attention change off of him.

"But in all seriousness, I have made a fatal mistake in my relationship with Hermione." The crowd 'awww'ed at this statement. Draco turned to be directly facing Hermione and managed to get eye-contact with her.

"And all I want to do is make it up to you, Hermione. Please tell me what I can do to deserve your forgiveness and I'll do it in a second."

Mr Bishop, who had spotted Hermione in the crowd, placed an enchantment on her seat that acted like a spotlight. The audience waited in silent awe for her reply. It was at this point that Harry whispered a suggestion in her ear which she couldn't help but laugh at.

Hermione placed her wand horizontally onto her neck, consequently charming a loudening spell. She replied with a smirk, "Okay then, Draco, _dear_. Strip off all your clothes and pose for the cameras, and I suppose I'll forgive you…" She was planning on pardoning Draco of his past actions anyway and she was just joking around. She didn't actually expect him to get undressed in front of a huge audience and the media. Harry had charmed on some music commonly used when strip teasing. The crowd gasped at her words but after only a second of consideration, Draco had smirkingly removed his over-robes, his suit-jacket and was unbuttoning his very expensive shirt. The ladies, and even some of the men, of the audience were admiring Mr Malfoy's attractive revealed torso when Hermione giggled and spoke.

"Stop! Stop, I forgive you," she managed to get out through laughter. The crowd was in a frenzy as Mr Bishop concluded the debate.

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Sorry about the late update, my bad. Please review! I really appreciate it. :) Also, special thanks to puppy13337, Pug1998 and Divess! You guys are legends. **


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Ever since the debate, Draco was feeling like he was on the top of the world. Nothing could stop him. He was once again with the witch of his dreams, he was winning in the polls and it was looking like it wouldn't be long before he was announced as the new Minister for Magic. Once the magical population saw the new, charming Draco, they couldn't help but adore him.

Draco and Hermione were having their first date together in weeks. Every time they had tried before, something else got in the way. The workload was increasing by the minute for the young Mr Malfoy and only with Hermione by his side did he feel he could handle the weight. With their constant appeal to the media, the couple decided just to have a nice dinner at Hermione's apartment and enjoy each others company in peace. Neither being in a mood to cook, they had ordered in pizza. The buzzer rang, informing the couple of the food's arrival. After pressing the button in which to let the delivery girl in, it was only a minute before Draco got up to answer the knock on Hermione's apartment door.

"Hi, Hawaiian pizza? You owe - Oh, my god! Are you Draco Malfoy?" The blonde girl who looked about 18 almost dropped the pizza in surprise. '_And here I thought by getting muggle pizza, I wouldn't be recognised. I literally haven't left the apartment!_' Draco thought. He didn't really mind that much, being 'spotted' that is, probably because it was something that often Hermione couldn't stand. Although being the famous female member of the Golden trio had its perks, she would much rather have defeated the dark lord without the celebrity aftereffects. She was, of course, never rude to people who approached her, except for maybe the media when they were being far too nosy for their own good, though.

"Ah, yes, yes I am." He said with a cool suaveness and a charming smile. The delivery girl could barely stop herself from swooning.

"I'm going to vote for you, for sure. Oh, my god. Could I get an autograph or something? And my friends said that getting a muggle job was a mistake! Ha!"

"Yeah, sure. Anything for my faithful voters," he replied with a wink. Draco was really concerned about the fate of the poor pizza in her unstable hands. He took the food off her and placed it on a nearby table.

"What would you like signed?" She took out the pizza receipt and a pen and offered it to the Minister for Magic candidate.

"Dear...?" He inquired after her name. It was a classic technique to make their day, and it certainly did. She replied swiftly with giddiness, "It's Kate".

"Dear Kate, thanks for being such a legend (and for bringing me pizza). Have a magical life, D. Malfoy." Draco read aloud the words he was scribbling on the back of the receipt as he wrote. She got out her camera phone and magicked it to levitate and take a timed photo as she posed next to the smiling Malfoy. He handed her the money owed for the pizza (and a generous tip that was just as much as the cost of the food) and they parted ways. Hermione observed the situation from the couch.

"Well, well, famous boy. Can't get a pizza without being recognised? Do you ever regret running for Minister?" She inquired, both of them taking a slice of the deliciously cheesy pizza.

Draco held up his hand, gesturing for her to wait while he finishes his bite of food. He exaggerated the situation, chewing for much longer than needed, causing Hermione to giggle.

"Nah, not really. I did for awhile there when you ran off, but I'm feeling pretty confident in my candidacy now," he remarked with a smirk.

They had soon consumed the entire pizza and watched two and a half episodes of the TV show, 'Community'. By this time they couldn't help but give in to their desire for a heated make-out session. It was unfortunate timing, however, because someone had just entered the apartment via floo.

"Oh, get a room," Blaise commented, jokingly covering his eyes in an attempt to block the view of his best friend fooling around.

"We did!" Draco replied, smirkingly. Hermione just blushed, smoothing out her hair which had gotten dishevelled in the heat of the moment before.

"What's wrong? Why are you here? I thought we agreed that if I came in earlier tomorrow, I could afford the whole night off…" queried the blonde. He could see the worry lines in Blaise's face and knew something was seriously wrong.

"Kingsley has been assassinated. The culprit has been caught but the media is in a frenzy. You'll have to make a statement as soon as possible. The election is being moved forward to Saturday."

The pair gasped in shock. It took a moment for Draco to register the situation, but once he did, his face was creased with grief and he grabbed his suit jacket in a hurry.

"Who was the murderer?" asked Draco as he rose of the couch. Hermione got up too, not planning on letting the two boys leave without her.

"I can't recall his name but I didn't recognise it. Some Voldemort sympathiser. Potter was the one who caught him, almost stopped him too but was just that moment too late, apparently." Hermione thought of Harry who must have been one of the auror's on the scene. It was even more of a reason for her to go with them, if only so she could be there to support Harry.

"Saturday is only two days away, surely it would be more respectful to wait a few more days?" Hermione questioned as she fetched a nearby trench-coat and put it on.

"The Ministry wants to show a strong front after all this and being without a leader doesn't really work with that. Goldstein is already there so we should get moving. The last possible thing we want after this tragedy is for bloody Goldstein to win the election."

"I'm coming with you," Hermione stated in a strong tone. Draco wasn't planning on stopping her; he had neither the power nor the desire to stop her from leaving his side. Within a moment they had all floo-ed to the Ministry foyer.

There had a very long night ahead of them.

**A/N: Hey, sorry for such a late update. I've got six assignments and they don't get done by themselves! I know it's kind of short, but it's better than nothing, surely. Hope you liked it, please don't hesitate in telling me what you think (especially if it's positive!) **


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

"_Kingsley has been assassinated. The culprit has been caught but the media is in a frenzy. You'll have to make a statement as soon as possible. The election is being moved forward to Saturday."_

* * *

The Ministry was in a frenzy. People were running around in every direction, all attempting to come to grips with the death of the much-loved Minister for Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt. An unfortunate flaw in the hierarchy of the Ministry was its lack of organisation. No one really knew who should step in.

Blaise, Draco and Hermione were bombarded with information at their arrival. They were ushered into an area containing the most important individuals, those with the highest security access. As a serious candidate for the election, Draco was given aforementioned high-security access. Hermione was a department head and that gave her the authority to enter the meeting (the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures wasn't one of the most important branches, but the title of being the head gave her certain privileges). Blaise was the only one of the three to be stopped for a security check. In a less demanding time they probably would have waited for their friend, but it really wasn't their top priority at this moment.

A group of very serious faces were all sitting around a large table. Two men were debating about something or another but Harry interrupted them the moment he saw Hermione and Draco enter.

"Hermione! Thank god, someone with a brain," he exclaimed. He was sitting at the head of the table, this was not missed by Hermione's perceptive gaze.

"What do _you_ think we should do?" Harry was not in the mood to listen any longer to the ramblings of people who couldn't organise the Ministry even when their Minister was alive. Had he asked such a question to an average person they most probably wouldn't have been able to give a clear answer. Hermione had only the basic information from Blaise, not having time to yet read the full report that was just handed to her. However, Hermione was someone who worked unfathomably well in stressful situations, and she proved herself yet again with her wisdom.

"Okay. We need to get someone in charge _now_. Without a leader, nothing will get done. It can't be Draco or Anthony because there hasn't been an election and there would be big ramifications with the public. But if we have a temporary Minister whom everyone loves, it will reassure everybody. I vote Harry. All those in favour?"

Every hand in the room was raised (except Harry's of course; he's not that self-centred). Everyone was listening intently to Hermione's calm judgement. Draco was silently admiring her obvious skills by her side. He would be the first to admit that she was the most able person to do this in the room and gladly let her take centre stage.

"Good. Harry, you're the temporary Minister. You should give a press statement ASAP. What's the deal with O'Brien?" she read the name of the culprit of the assassination of the report that she was quickly reading over.

A man who Hermione recognised as a Mr Smith answered, "He's currently in custody and wont talk. All he's said is that his name is 'O'Brien'. We think that he may be under some kind of magical disguise. We haven't been able to identify him yet."

Harry, who first seemed opposed to the idea of being responsible for the wizarding-world, began making instructions. It was as if no years had passed since he led the light in the war, once he got his head around it all. There wasn't much they could do about the possible disguise of 'O'Brien' except wait and hope that it was a polyjuice potion (or similar) and would soon wear off. Fingers crossed.

* * *

After a long night of debating, deliberating and discussions, Hermione and Draco finally got to leave the ministry. Many press-conferences had past and they felt completely knackered. Draco had shone in his press-statement, displaying a perfect mix of both grief and leadership. In the back of his mind, though, he couldn't help but think that Hermione would be a better Minister for Magic than himself.

With a problem given to her, Hermione had no rest in considering all the options. Who was this 'O'Brien'? It was doubtful that it was the culprit's real name and therefore it presumably had a deeper meaning. Like it was on the tip of her tongue, Hermione was trying to remember where she heard of that name. Of course it's a pretty common surname, but it was definitely in something. In some book or something. And then it came to her, a great epiphany, whilst lying in bed next the warm, half-naked body of her boyfriend.

"It's from Nineteen Eighty-Four!" Hermione declared far too loudly for her tired partner.

"What?" he replied sleepily, hugging her more tightly around her small waist.

"O'Brien! It's referring to Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four! It makes so much sense…"

"Mmm, I suppose. Oppressive government and all. It is a muggle book though, sweetie. How many people, other than you and me, read muggle books?" Draco was much more awake by this point. Had anyone else tried to break his sleep, he would have held a grudge, at least for a good ten minutes. But this was Hermione, and there was something about her that made her an exception.

"Well, if we answer that, then maybe we might find out who the perpetrator is," she answered with an air of dramatics.

"In the morning we'll go and be detectives, but for now, we need our sleep. And if you can't sleep, then maybe we should do something a little more pleasurable…" he suggested with a wink. Hermione couldn't help but laugh and give in to his proposal.

**A/N: A super big thanks to all of you who have read my (arguably terrible) story, especially to the reviewers! Special thanks to Harriettlovesbooks, alltimelowfreak11, Divess, Pug1998, sleeplessinseattle, puppy13337, edwardsoneandonlylove and ms-bringthebeat26. **


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

_Friday Morning- 8am:_

Harry Potter strode down a Ministry hallway in a fast pace. No time to be wasted for the temporary Minister for Magic. His cloaks billowed behind him, a dramatic consequence of his speedy stride. A familiar voice called out after him, "Harry! Wait up, will you?"

Hermione had to jog a little in order to catch up with her best friend but they greeted each other in their usual warm and casual manner before Hermione began to speak.

"I've had a few thoughts about Kingsley's assassinator…" she began. Harry ushered her into his office that they had just conveniently reached. They sat opposite each other at his impressively elegant oak desk.

"Well, I kept thinking about the name that he gave us, you know, O'Brien. Eventually I realised that it was the same as the guy in Nineteen Eighty-Four! Isn't that fascinating? It just can't be a coincidence."

"Which one is O'Brien again?" Harry asked sheepishly, his eyes averted from Hermione's intense gaze. She had long ago insisted that Harry and Ron read the classic muggle book but after reading the blurb, they just couldn't be bothered. They had pretended to read it in order to humour their bookish friend, not realising that anything even remotely important would result from it.

"Didn't you finish it, Harry?" Hermione asked, trying to stare down the embarrassed war hero. He mumbled under his breath, "More like start it…" Luckily enough for him, Hermione missed that comment but nonetheless she deduced that he had not read the dystopic novel by George Orwell. She gave him a playful glare before explaining the basic storyline.

"Well, basically, in the book there is a totalitarian, extremely oppressive, government. The main character, Winston, wants to stop this regime and teams up with this guy called O'Brien. But O'Brien is actually undercover, working for the government. He betrays Winston, tortures him physically and psychologically until ultimately he makes Winston actually love the shitty government rule."

"Ahh, so someone who has been double-crossed has come back for a theatrical kill?" inquired Harry. Hermione loved how he just took information, registered it and came out with his ideas momentarily. It suited her fast mind nicely.

"Mmhmm, and someone who has read Nineteen Eighty-Four. It all makes me think that the guy in custody is under the Imperius curse."

"It's not much to go off, but it's better than nothing," Harry remarked as he organised some important looking files on his desk.

"Yeah, so I was wondering if it was alright if I take a few days off work to research this further? As Minister you have that authority…" she suggested.

"You not only have permission but you are also _urged_ to take as long as you need. You're the most qualified detective out there, 'Mione."

Hermione got up to leave, already her head filled with ideas, leads to follow and people to see. Before she left, however, she did say one last thing, "I know you lied about reading that book; shame on you, Harry Potter. _Shame. On. You_. "

The office area for all the campaign workers was abuzz with activity when Draco entered. So much seemed to be happening he even wondered if there was anything left for him to do. And thankfully, this one time, Draco's far-off ponderings were true. Today, Draco was off the hook. He spotted Blaise chatting with a young brunette man but it wasn't long before he was by his side, giving him the lowdown.

"I think it would be best if we laid off all electoral stuff until tomorrow. To be respectful to the late Shacklebolt and all."

"Oh, good. That's perfect. I wanted to pop down to Australia for a quick visit with Hermione anyways."

"W-what? Election day is _tomorrow_!" Blaise commented, astounded at Draco's flippant attitude towards the last mile of the election.

"You just said that I was off the hook!" Draco rebutted.

"I meant only that you shouldn't go out and do any press-conferences, photo-op's or speeches or anything. There is always something to be done around here."

"Oh, come on Blaise. I'll be back before you know it." Before Blaise could stop Draco from leaving, he was already out the door.

"You better be ready for tomorrow!" Blaise yelled out after the retreating figure.

* * *

Draco had barely been packing for one minute when Hermione entered his private chambers.

"Drake, what are you doing?" Hermione inquired, sitting down on the edge of his bed and observing his movements.

"I'm packing, sweetie," he said in a teasing manner, a cheeky grin plastered on his lips.

"Gee, thanks, but I'm pretty sure I got that. I meant to ask, _why_ are you packing?"

"Because I'm going away," he replied.

"Oh, where are you going then? Something last minute for the election?" she inquired, slightly confused.

"Nope. I'm going to Australia, with you."

"You realise that there is a huge time difference? We wouldn't even stay the night, just a few hours then apparate back." Hermione coyly smiled at him, giving him a kiss and further packing.

"Oh." Draco couldn't really hide his embarrassment for looking over something so obvious. Somehow, it did nothing but made him look even more charming and handsome than usual. They both had a good laugh about it. This was the main difference Hermione saw between the old Draco and the new. The old Draco would have gotten pissy and moody at being proved wrong about something but this advanced edition just laughed through it. He definitely changed for the better.

"Well, I just came over to say that I wouldn't be able to have lunch with you today, but I suppose we'll just have it together in Australia. Or dinner. Whatever. Time zones suck." She pulled a face that evoked a chuckle from Draco. He got changed into something more appropriate than a business shirt and it wasn't long before they were in a different continent.

**Awww, shucks guys! Your reviews have been so lovely and flattering. 50 reviews! What a milestone. I am sorry about the long time between updates and the shortness of the chapters… hopefully this will get better. Anyways, extra thanks to my faithful reviewers ms-bringthebeat26, puppy13337, Harriettlovebooks, alltimelowfreak11, ushallneverknow, Hunter's Heir, edwardsoneandonlylove, Pug1998, Klutz4Eternity and Divess. **


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

**Hey guys! Not too long to the end now, and I'm already thinking up some idea's for another, non-related, dramione fic. Hope you enjoy! xx**

_9:30am (London time) and 6:30pm (Sydney time):_

"Oh, Draco! I didn't know you were coming too! Come, come, sit down. And I'll just make you some food. Are you hungry? What time is it England now? Is it a meal time? I have dinner in the oven but it wont be cooked for another hour. No matter, I can whip something up for you anyway, you are a strapping young lad, and extra food will do you no harm." Monica Granger (or Wilkins, if you'd prefer) had barely welcomed the young couple for half a minute before she had disappeared into the kitchen. She was unprepared for a special guest -her daughter, although they didn't live together, was family and as we all know, family have to get food for themselves- and was therefore rather flustered.

"Mum, it's fine," Hermione attempted in curbing her mother's enthusiasm in considering Draco's stomach.

Monica reappeared in the homely living room with a tray of nibblies. Whilst Draco's eyes revealed that he was lustfully ogling the brie and crackers, he remarked, "You really didn't have to, you're too kind."

Ever since Draco had first started working at that little café, Monica had wished that he would fall in love with her daughter. He was charming, undeniably handsome and so witty that she often pondered about the possible match. And now here he was, dating her precious daughter and they just looked so perfect together. And when he turned out to be a wizard! Although Monica had always thought that a nice muggle man would be good for Hermione, she couldn't deny that with Draco being magical, their relationship would be easier. In one of Hermione's letter's it described Draco's intent on being Minister for Magic and Monica was positively thrilled! She was a very kind and humble person but nonetheless, she liked the thought of her potential son-in-law being an equivalent of a Prime Minister or a President.

"So when you rang you mentioned something about wanting to discuss Nineteen Eighty-Four for some case? Although why such a book is involved, I don't know." Monica said as she sat down on a nearby armchair.

Although Hermione's father was a well-liked dentist, her mother entered more into the world of academia. There's no wonder where Hermione's obsessive nature to her studies and literature came from. There were just as many books and papers in the Granger house in Australia as there was in Hermione's own abode. Conveniently enough, at university, Monica had studied, rather rigorously, the life works of George Orwell. So inspired and stimulated by aforementioned works was she that she decided she would do her Ph.D. on the very same topic. She was a secret goldmine of information for this case and Hermione was not stupid enough to overlook it.

After about half an hour of intense discussion, Draco felt himself getting a tad restless. Of course he had read the classic book and didn't mind it, but it had been a long time ago and he hadn't enjoyed it _that_ much. He knew that Hermione had it covered and asked, at a polite and well-chosen moment, if Mrs Granger minded if he used her computer. Naturally, this was allowed and he left the too geniuses to talk between themselves.

Being in the muggle world had rekindled Draco's memory about some things that were so normal to him in his stay in Sydney but had lately forgotten. One of them was the use of the internet and, more importantly, Facebook. When the ignorant Mr Malfoy first came to the muggle city, he had no knowledge about the famous social networking site. Intrigued, he came to appreciate the modern technologies that muggle society had invented. He logged on with a speed that only competent people can produce. Truth be told, Draco was quite proud of his swift proficiency with muggle products.

23 notifications.

Shit.

When Draco had left for Britain, he didn't give much of an excuse to his friends that he had become so very close with. Why? Well, probably because he couldn't think of any good reason that didn't expose the whole of the wizarding community or just open up more questions. So he merely said that he had business in England and would hopefully be back for a visit soon to see them. It has been months now.

Posted all upon his 'wall' were messages of friendship and of demands of a visit.

One of them, from Sam being "Hey! Where the bloody hell are you, mate? And when are you coming back!"

Draco groaned with his own avoiding nature. He felt terrible for ignoring his friends that meant so much to him and desperately wanted to make it up to them. He considered the possibility of popping round to one of their apartments to see one of them, but thought it would be mean to choose one and not the other. Astoundingly enough, there was an event invitation that was for that very night. It was a celebratory party for James's birthday at the local pub. And it had started twenty minutes ago.

Aware of the apparition wards that Hermione had put in to her parent's house to protect them from unwanted guests, Draco planned on walking out to a nearby alleyway and just apparating from there. The Wilkin's street was empty of curious bystanders, but he wanted to be safe nonetheless. He hadn't even closed the white wooden gate behind him when an unknown wizard popped out of nowhere. He held his wand towards poor Draco, and not in a very friendly manner. Like riding a bike, Draco's swift reflexes to danger had not been forgotten after the war.

"Stupefy!" yelled the mysterious attacker, but Draco had promptly blocked the curse.

Hermione, having spotted the incident through the living room window had run out to help. Wand out and ready to cast, Draco and Hermione were a team to be reckoned with. The perpetrator, although apparently willing to attempt to duel with just one of the pair, knew he faced an imminent and certain doom if he entered one with both. He apparated away with a pop before either Draco or Hermione could stop him.

After the adrenaline rush subsided, Hermione's mind began to spin with this new development in the case. She deliberated the suspects aloud as they formed a list of elements to the assassinator.

"He-" she began but was swiftly interrupted by a correcting Draco, "Or she! Ay, you never know…" Draco gave a smirk as he did so.

"Okay then, he or she must have obviously read Nineteen Eighty-Four, and had some kind of motive behind killing the late Minister and you, the prospective replacement." Hermione bit her lip in concentration, her mind racing as fast as her exhilarated heart.

"But who would gain from both our deaths?" Draco questioned, intrigued.

"I have a few idea's…" Hermione said slightly absently as she was thinking up plans.

"I think it's time we go back to London. I have some stuff I want to follow up," she suggested, already walking back up the pathway and into her parent's home.

"If it's alright with you, sweetie, I thought I'd still go to James's birthday shindig…" Draco called out to Hermione's retreating back. In the back of his mind, he noted how very nice she looked from this particular angle.

"Mr Malfoy, you just got attacked! Have you no common sense?" she replied. But Draco merely chuckled, ran up to her, and gave her a quick peck on the cheek before finding a safe spot to apparate away.

"That boy is insufferable sometimes," Hermione mumbled to herself as she opened the door of the cozy Granger/Wilkins home.

**Many thanks for the reviews by edwardsoneandonlylove, Pug1998, I'll be ok after a Red Vine 1, DensiShine, , Divess and Dragon'sFury547. You're all fabulous. Till next time, which shouldn't be too far away!**

**If any of you spot any grammatical errors, stupid mistakes or plain crappy writing don't hesitate in informing me about them! I'm always happy to change stuff for the better. :)**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

**Sorry that it's really short but only a chapter to go, then perhaps an epilogue (only if you guys really want one…), so get excited! And enjoy reading. xx**

Hermione swirled her red wine, appreciating it's tasteful integrity. Most nights these days she and Draco merely stayed in and got take out because of their busy and tiring schedules. She savoured the expensive, fruity taste as she brought the glass to her lips.

"So Hermione, did you ask me here just to wish me good luck for tomorrow, or was there something else you had in mind?" Anthony Goldstein was more than surprised when Hermione had sent an owl asking him out to lunch that very day. He was under the impression that she and Draco were going strong, but nonetheless he accepted her invitation eagerly and swiftly organised a table in one of the swankiest wizarding restaurants in town. He wasn't going to turn down such a flattering offer.

"Shouldn't you be having lunch with Malfoy round about now?" he continued.

"Well, Draco can sometimes have different priorities than I do." Hermione had another gulp of her beverage before gazing deep into Anthony's eyes.

"But let's not talk about him. How about we use this time to get to know each other a little better?" She placed her left hand on top of his and smiled sweetly.

"Okay then, what would you like to know?" he asked, slightly embarrassed at this unforeseen expression of affection.

"Ah, what about your favourite TV show?" Hermione inquired. Anthony seemed to ponder on his answer for a moment before replying with, "I suppose, off the top of my head, I'd have to say Black Books."

"That's quite interesting, because most wizards don't own a television let alone watch it, it being a muggle invention and all…" she commented, twisting a small portion of her spaghetti around her fork and eating it.

"Well, my mum is a muggleborn, so she brought me up using all their technology and reading their books and such."

Anthony and Hermione sat and chatted for about an hour, the male of the party thoroughly enjoying himself. The low-point of the date was when Hermione spilt red wine all over his expensive robes. The high-point was just after this mentioned incident when Hermione dabbed at his clothes with her napkin and they therefore had a rather close vicinity. This was hardly going to be the most exciting occurrence to happen that day, however.

* * *

"Happy Birthday!" Draco announced as he spotted his group of Australian friends at the bar.

The surprise was eminent on their faces as he smiled widely at them. The next twenty minutes straight was filled with questions and was an interrogation of Draco's new life abroad. Always quick on his feet, Draco tried to be as truthful as possible, because, sure, technically, he was working in the British government now… It just was a government that they didn't even know existed. Satisfied enough with his answers, eventually they all began updating him about their lives in Australia. The café was not coping well the bad economy and Adriana was getting increasingly stressed. The main problem was that the rent for the building was getting so high it was unpayable and the business was paid using her personal money. Sam and Eliza were now going strong as a couple and it was obvious to all how well suited they were. Adriana and James had finally set the wedding date and had an invitation ready to send to Draco. He had yet to receive it as he had given no address to them before he left. Malfoy Manor was not really set up to receive muggle mail at this point, nor was the name of the residence very subtle.

Draco had a great night out (or afternoon for him). However, by the time of the event's conclusion, he had had one too many drinks. This unfortunately meant that he didn't want to risk apparating home, in case he splinched himself. So, instead, he waved his mates farewell and went to travel the muggle way; walking. This wouldn't work to get all the way to England but he could have a nice stroll to the Granger house, which wasn't too far away, and use their chimney and floo home.

The cool night air refreshed Draco as he walked upon the cement footpath in suburban North Sydney. It was rather late so there wasn't anyone about, but this suited the young Mr Malfoy quite nicely, still rather intoxicated.

Rhythmically, his shoes tapped against the ground as he slowly made his way. Just listening to this sound, Draco swore he heard another set of footsteps. And this was not part of his drunken imagination. Out in the darkness behind him appeared a figure. And this figure didn't wait a moment before knocking Draco's lights out.

**Sorry that it's reeeeally short, but it's all in the timing! Super special thanks to SasoriHime05, puppy13337, Pug1998, edwardsoneandonlylove, Divess, pirate-princess1 (digging the name, by the way), MidnightEclipse2 and DMxxfreek! **


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

**I realise it has been forever since I've updated; I just finished my last exam so a celebratory update was obvious! :) It had been so long that I had to read the entirety again to remember where I was going with it… Enjoy, and don't forget to voice it in a review if your euphoria was to the extreme! (Or even if you merely thought it was alright- I'm not fussy. Also, please don't hesitate to inform me about any grammatical mistakes, I appreciate it.)**

_**Summary recap- because it's been so damn long:**_

Hermione went out on a lunch date with Anthony Goldstein, Draco's contender for the Minister position. She saucily split wine on him, the minx. This was after going to her parent's house to discuss with her genius mother about Orwell's 'Nineteen Eighty-Four', which Hermione believes is connected to the assassination of Shacklebolt, and the subsequent attack of Draco.

**This is the last bit from the previous chapter:**

_Draco swore he heard another set of footsteps. And this was not part of his drunken imagination. Out in the darkness behind him appeared a figure. And this figure didn't wait a moment before knocking Draco's lights out._

* * *

**And now onto the new stuff:**

Draco groggily awoke in darkness, his neck sore from an awkward sleeping position and his head thumping with pain. As he glanced around his dilapidated surroundings he was conscious of another figure in the room. As the man stepped into the sole stream of light rushing in from a gap in a panelled window, Draco recognised him.

"Goldstein. Should've known only you would be as ungracious as to kidnap me in order to have me all to yourself. Merlin, man, get some balls and just ask me out first! Men these days…" Draco remarked to the increasingly agitated opponent. The young Malfoy's dry humour was not appreciated in the least by Anthony.

"Shut the hell up Malfoy!" he retorted testily, and as an afterthought added, "before I make you…"

As Draco silently observed his kidnapper, his mind searched for anything that could help him in his escape. Some tightly wrapped rope bound his hands, but, if luck was on his side, Draco could use some wandless magic to untie them. It was not surprising that his wand was not on his person. Even Goldstein had the forethought to remove that weapon from him. He, though, probably didn't realise that Draco was one of the few powerful wizards and witches who had the ability to do wandless magic. He smirked with the thought.

Unfortunately, Goldstein was no amateur, apparently. The rope was magically triggered to only react to the wand of the bounder.

"Care to explain what this is about?" Draco inquired, attempting to prolong his life a few minutes longer. Draco sensed that Goldstein meant business. He wouldn't have kidnapped him merely to get scared and let him go. He couldn't risk Draco running free and revealing his evil identity.

"You ruined my plan. I had to take care of it," he replied darkly.

"And your plan is…?" Malfoy dared to query. He didn't have much to lose at this point- curiosity killed the cat and it would probably kill Draco too. Goldstein gave a deadly glare (well, not really deadly, but pretty close). Draco met his stare- he had years of being a haughty git on his side.

"You disgust me; you and your damn fellow pureblood aristocrats." Anthony sneered at Draco through the darkness.

"Don't you worry, the feeling is more than reciprocated…" Draco murmured, but his enemy heard. "O'Brien, ay? Nice allusion, mate. Too bad no one will get it, it being a muggle book and all."

"Oh, yes. I just thought of the irony. Part of the government bringing itself down, pretending to be cooperative but was really a double agent. Ingenious. I was the obvious next Minister. And then you bloody came along and made a mess of everything. I could've destroyed the Ministry from the inside out, until you."

In the middle of Goldstein's rant, Draco thought he heard a pop, which was missed by his opponent in his moment of emotion. The room remained empty of all but himself, Goldstein and the darkness, but he couldn't shake it off.

"But, why? Why go to such bother?" Goldstein fired up with this question. "Well," he began, "the Ministry was corrupt in the war. I thought this would change, but apparently not. It was almost as bad. I couldn't stand there and watch the world that so many had died for crumble under the contemptuous rule that did nothing. For a new structure to arise, the whole place had to be outed and destroyed!"

Draco shrugged, "Yeah, but wouldn't it have been just as easy to be a good leader and eliminate the corruptness then?" This was not a good reply.

"I am sick of your crap Malfoy!" Goldstein sneered angrily. "Any last words?"

Draco didn't have time to reply as he heard a voice yell "Stupefy!"

Relief flooded through Draco as he recognised Harry appearing out of nowhere (he later discovered that he had been biding his time under an invisibility cloak for some time).

Almost immediately a door was busted open as many other Aurors and Hermione burst into the room. In a few flashes and spells, Goldstein was bound and being levitated away. Hermione ran to Draco and began kissing him feverishly.

"Missed me, then?" Draco smirked as she let out a small, relieved laugh.

Harry stood near him and let out a laugh with her before remarking, "I suppose you're Minister now by default."

"Oi, Potter! Have some respect for your superiors! Perhaps you want to get Goldstein's wand and unbind me?"

* * *

The crowd was rambunctious with the festivities until Ron clinked his spoon onto his champagne glass. Everyone silenced themselves at this indication of the Best Man speech beginning.

"Harry has had such a crazy life. He's the first to admit it. It was so hectic, some would have thought he would have been scarred for life." The wizards and witches in the audience chuckled at his pun. The unknowing muggle friends and relatives of the bride Olivia just presumed it was some mass in-joke.

"But he, _magically_, has not only persevered, but has found success in his life and I think that Harry really does have a knack for making the best of things. So it is no surprise that he chose the best woman for him to become his wife. I know we all want to get on with the best part of this speech so here we go; please raise your glasses in a toast- to Olivia and Harry, may your life be as magical and as happy until you're old and wrinkly. Congratulations!"

Draco and Hermione lovingly smiled at each other as they toasted the happy couple. Hermione felt Draco pat her knee in an affectionate manner. Draco leaned over to whisper in her ear, "You remembered to get them a present from us, right?"

"What? No surprise elaborate gift organised like the last wedding we attended?" the spunky brunette teased.

"Well, that was an entirely different situation."

Hermione raised her eyebrows questioningly whilst letting out a soft, "Different how?

"They were _my_ friends." Draco smirked with a twinkle in his eyes. They both knew that he was merely teasing- against all odds, Harry and him had become quite good mates in the recent months. Hermione often complained that he saw more of Harry then she did, despite Draco's tight schedule as the Minister of Magic.

"And I thought it was a nice gift. And I put your name on the card!" Draco jokingly protested. It had been a nice gift. A very expensive, very thoughtful gift. After finding out about Adriana's money troubles with the café, Draco had generously bought the building that _Adriana's_ was located, ending their worries about the raising rent prices. In fact, they didn't have to worry about rent at all, because they now owned it.

Draco and Hermione's conversation was halted as every unmarried female piled onto the dance floor. Olivia was throwing the bouquet. Hermione was pulled into the crowd by one of her friends, ignoring her protests that suggested she sit out. The rose bouquet flew through the air as a bunch of desperate singletons jumped for the prize that prophesised their apparent upcoming wedding vows. Despite Hermione being rather far back in the crowd, she amazingly watched on as the bunch of flowers flew directly into her hands. In her amazement, she almost didn't notice Draco with his wand discreetly controlling the journey of the bouquet. As their eyes met, he gave her a wink as she laughed to herself softly.

* * *

"Excuse me gentlemen, but I believe I have an appointment with the Minister…" Hermione remarked as she leaned on the doorway of Draco's office. Her blonde boyfriend and her best friend where having a conversation which they would claim to everyone to be of Ministry-concerning business, but Hermione knew it was more likely to be about quidditch or their next expedition to the bar.

Harry laughed at Hermione's words, taking his cue to leave. He made his goodbyes before leaving the lovebirds alone in Draco's very large, Minister of Magic office.

"So how was your first day as Deputy Minster of Magic?" Draco asked as Hermione sat on top of his large wooden desk. He got out of his chair and placed his hands on either side of his girlfriend on the desk, trapping her. She placed her hands around his neck, an automatic response for her now.

Draco didn't want to repeat history of having a bunch of startled chickens for leaders if anything ever happened to the Minister of Magic, be it himself or someone else in the future. So he created the position of a Deputy Minister of Magic and gave the role to the obvious best candidate. Well, he didn't really choose her; the unbiased interviewers in charge of filling the position did. She earned it, fair and square.

"Fantastic. And busy, very busy."

"I'm sure you did great, love." Draco removed the space between them, kissing her. And he really did know, first hand, how smart and perfect for this role she was. Sometimes, her intelligence astounded him. The most obvious example, but definitely not the sole, was when she worked out the assassinator and overall evil git of Goldstein before anyone else had caught on. The motives and the dots all connected together as Hermione realised that Goldstein was the obvious culprit. She even, after informing Harry and the authorities, placed a tracking spell on Anthony, which ended up saving Draco's life. What may have looked like flirting when Hermione spilled wine on his robes and dabbed at it the stain, was actually her discreetly placing the spell. Draco was eternally thankful to her. He did attempt to make it up to her in kisses and by knowing his way around the bedroom, though.

"Don't you know it," Hermione smirked.

"Do I have a competitor for my position now?" the blonde questioned in-between placing kisses on her neck.

"Oh, yeah. Watch out Malfoy, you might see my name on the ballet paper next election."

"That will be difficult for people. Two candidates with the same surname!"

"What?" Hermione gasped in confusion.

"Unless you want to keep your name, of course. I don't mind either way, really." Draco remarked as he watched Hermione realise what he was saying in amusement.

"Are you insinuating that we're getting married, Draco?" Hermione was never one to beat around the bush.

Malfoy let go of the desk as he retrieved a small box from his pocket and got down on one knee on the carpet in front of the startled brunette.

"Well, you have to say yes first… Hermione Granger, goddess among women and love of my life, will you accept the incredible pleasure of becoming my wife?"

"Yes. Yes, I will, you insufferable git."

**And that's all, folks! **

**Please review, and there may or may not be an epilogue to come... I go back to school in four days, so we'll see. **

**I'll leave you with some parting words of wisdom that Stephen Fry once said (possibly not the original source) on an interview:**

**"It's better to be sexy and racy, then sexist and racist."**


	18. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

_**Many special thanks to LeftyMei, Severus Snape, Bren Gail, AW Science Geek, MissTaySel121, SlytherinGurrl, LoversCure, magic-never-dies, Hersoleisred, Don't Trust The Silver Eyes, meadow-music, amartin0507, Pug1998, edwardsoneandonlylove, racethom, Ayumi Shimizu, Rhiose, Divess, SasoriHime05, puppy133337 and a guest or two. I really appreciate your nice wishes! **_

**Also, I realise that last chapter was a tad rushed, and eventually I may go back and fix it, but for now, enjoy. **

Despite being Minister for Magic, Draco found a time slot to hang out with his old mates from Australia. As his friends from down under were not magical and he couldn't tell them that he simply flooed or apparated, he had to keep it to less than once a month to make sure that it wasn't completely weird that he flew out just to see them… Sometimes, when Hermione's schedule wasn't too hectic, she accompanied him, reminiscing their first muggle encounter that sparked their relationship, Draco's re-entering into magical society and, soon to be, their loving marriage. Tonight, however, Hermione was going out with the other members of the Golden Trio.

"So, how's the café going?" Draco inquired to Adriana, who had just come back with the next round of drinks despite Draco's offer to shout them all.

"Terrible."

"Oh?" Draco suddenly got serious at this answer.

"Terrible without you there to be the general dogsbody, that is. But, other than that, it's going fantastic." The group laughed, Draco's jolly countenance returning as he gave a joking glare to Adriana.

As always, the group joked and laughed and chatted for hours, cider's in their hands and smiles on their faces.

At one moment, however, Sam nervously pulled Draco aside.

"Mate, can I have some advice?" Everything seemed to be going great for Sam at the moment; Eliza was a great girlfriend, he had a nice part-time job and was doing really well in his course at Sydney University. Draco couldn't imagine what was wrong, but of course offered his guidance in any possible matter.

"Well, ah, it's Eliza…"

"Yeah?" Draco raised his eyebrow inquisitorially.

"I-I think I'm gonna ask her to marry me…"

"That's fantastic! Congratulations mate!" and Draco's wide smile and strong handshake accompanied his good wishes.

"I'm sure she'll say yes, so what's the worry?"

"Well, I have everything organised. We're going to have a picnic in her favourite park tomorrow and I've got all her favourite food and it should be perfect. But only problem is, I forgot to tell Adriana about it and there's no one to cover my shift…"

"Why don't you just explain it to her, I'm sure she'll understand." Adriana does get a bit uppity about last minute schedule changes, as a boss of a booming business, she has to be, but even she would understand the plight of a friend proposing to another friend as a higher priority.

"Ah, I would, but you know Adriana… she wouldn't be able to keep it to herself- she'll be too excited to hide it and you know her lying skills are preposterous. She'll sooner fly on a broom than tell a believable lie." The young Malfoy smiled slightly at this last comment.

"What can I do then?" inquired Draco, a little unsure at his role in any of this, although more than happy to help.

"Draco. Every time you couldn't work last minute, somehow you charmed your way into being in her good graces perpetually. If you could, I don't know, put it to her gently or something, I'd appreciate it." This was true- the Malfoy charm was apparently unbeatable.

As the night continued jovially, Draco eventually got an opportunity to speak to Adriana alone. He explained the situation to her, that Sam couldn't work the next day for unexplainable reasons, and Adriana, a few drinks in her, gave him a choice, "Okay then, I'll let Sam off if _you_ cover his shift." Draco, with a quite a few drinks in him, thought this was a very reasonable offer and gladly took it up to help his friend.

* * *

Draco snoozed his alarm with the sleepiness that a very late night will create. The next morning, well, morning in Australia that is, for Draco was uncomfortable at best. He had slept in his old apartment in Sydney that he had decided to keep for these situations. His sleeping patterns were completely off, being in a different time zone and all, but with the help of a Pepper-Up potion and a hangover-remedy potion, his booming headache and tired countenance vanished.

He sent a quick text to his fiancé, 'Hey, I have to go to work at the café today, you want some cake for tonight while I'm there?'

Hermione, miles and miles away in Britain laughed at her fiancé's seemingly random text.

The blonde charmer walked the short distance to _Adriana's _and entered his old workplace. It was unbelievably surreal to him, so much changing since his last day at the café. Here he rekindled his relationship, which was previously not much to write home about, with an old enemy who is now the most important thing to him. He automatically turned on the radio full blast and got to work on opening up.

Draco could not hide his enjoyment of the day, despite the hard work, meeting all his old customers and friends and doing something other than running Britain's magical society. He had a bit of a chuckle at what everyone would say if they saw the Minister of Magic manning the counter in an Australian muggle café.

Nearing the end of his shift, in entered a vivacious and bubbly brunette woman. Draco couldn't help but give her a once (and then a twice) over, appreciating the beauty of her body. She approached the counter and smiled lovingly at her fiancé.

"What can I get you?" inquired Draco with a smirk.

"A mocha thanks."

"Any sugar?" Draco, of course, knew the answer, but asked with a wink nonetheless.

"I take it with two sugars and a kiss." And she did.

**Hope you enjoyed it! xx**


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